Our fast-evolving and outgoing lifestyle are what brings us the much-coveted adrenaline boost. However, the more we “perform,” the more we dive into our sedentary office work towards building the “good” life, we put our body through a lot of physical and mental stress and pressure. This is the reason why our generation is witnessing a slew of health and fitness problems, much more than our predecessors. 
As the incidence of health risks and issues becomes increasingly prominent worldwide, people are now more conscious of their health. People are redefining the meaning of “beautiful” and “desirable” by striving to be healthy and fit. In fact, living a healthy lifestyle, eating right, and exercising are the norms of the latest trend – fitness. This is where health and fitness apps enter the scenario.
Health and fitness apps powered by mobile technology allow us to keep tabs on our health and fitness goals anywhere and anytime. Whether you wish to track your sleeping patterns or monitor your heart rate, health and fitness apps are the new tools that enable you to take proactive charge of your body.
What are the must-have features of a health and fitness app?
According to Statista, the number of available health and fitness apps in the Play Store stood at 37,143 in the first quarter of 2019. The best thing about health and fitness apps is that while many are linked to specific activity trackers (like Fitbit devices or Apple, Samsung, and Mi smartwatches), many others offer regular health stats. Thus, app users always remain informed about their health and vital stats.
So, what are the features that make a health and fitness app a great one?
Here are five features to look out for when designing a health and fitness app!
1. Device compatibility
Compatibility with mobile platforms – Android and iOS – is a must. Also, if your health and fitness app can synchronize with wearables like smartwatches, it will make the process of health monitoring all the more convenient for users.
2. Customization
Users should be able to create their unique profiles by including personal details like age, gender, height, weight, and health goals. The app should then provide customized features such as personalized exercise routine, diet plan, and progress reports accordingly.
3. Geolocation
It is essential to include this feature to enable users to track their walking routes. By doing so, they can plan to expand their walking/running routes and track their progress every day. Also, geolocation will allow them to track their fitness progress over an extended period of time.
4. Push notifications
Users with strict health and fitness goals hardly ever want to miss a workout session. However, it is challenging to keep up with a busy lifestyle and maintain our daily fitness goals – sometimes, it is bound to slip out of mind. This is when push notifications come to the rescue. These notifications remind users to stay on track with their daily workout sessions.
5. Gamification
It is human nature to push ourselves more when we have a specific target to reach or when we are promised an incentive/reward for our efforts. When you include gamification (rewards/points) in your health and fitness app development, it motivates users to use your app and push themselves towards their health goals. There could also be a penalty for incomplete tasks.
6. Sleep tracker
This is another feature that is a must-have for a health and fitness app. Such is our lifestyle today that even getting a few hours of sound sleep is a challenge for many of us. The sleep tracker lets you track the time you had slept soundly, the time when you were active in your sleep, and even when you are in your heaviest/lightest sleep stage. However, to use this feature, you have to wear a fitness wearable and activate it before going to sleep.
If you incorporate these features into your health and fitness app, it will motivate the users to take active charge of their body and create a loyal and satisfied fan base for your app.
We at mTraction Enterprise grasp your business challenges & ideate a personalized user experience to solve complex business problems. Connect with our team at enterprise@affle.com for a quick mobile app development consultation.
Orignally published on https://enterprise.affle.com/blog/bringing-revolution-in-health-fitness-here-is-how-mobile-apps-are-making-a-difference/
