Health and fitness is an essential focus driving Apple’s hardware and software development, so if you own an Apple device, you’ll already know there are many first-party resources to support your physical and mental well-being.
But how do you choose from the long list of third-party health and fitness apps on the App Store? Apple has curated a list of the best new apps in this category that first appeared on the App Store in 2022. Here’s how these apps can help you.
1. STRETCHIT
Flexibility. Mobility. Stretching. How often do you incorporate these elements into your workouts? Although easy to neglect in training programs, this type of exercise is essential to reduce the risk of injury, improve your performance in all exercise disciplines, and impact your overall health and physical well-being.
STRETCHIT is a brilliant app that puts stretching and mobility at the heart of your workout, with programs including Get Your Splits and Full Body Stretch. If you’re up for a challenge, try Touch Your Toes or the Dancer Pose Challenge. The app is suitable for everyone, from absolute beginners to advanced programs. Use it in conjunction with your favorite strength and cardio programs and see how much better you feel.
Download: STRETCHIT (Free, subscription available)
2. Wim Hof Method
The Wim Hof method is a powerful natural training routine that centers around three pillars: breathing exercises, cold therapy, and commitment to mastering the discipline. Wim Hof, the man behind the method, isn’t called The Iceman for nothing! His extreme methods are said to restore your body and mind to their optimal natural state, combating the modern issue of an over-stimulated mind within an under-stimulated body.
This app teaches you how to practice the method via exercises and challenges. Find out more about how the Wim Hof Method app can improve your well-being and consider joining the growing numbers adopting this natural method of self-care.
Download: Wim Hof Method (free, subscription available)
3. OYG Davina
OYG stands for Own Your Goals, and Davina is UK television legend Davina McCall, whose enthusiastic approach to fitness and well-being shines through in this new app aimed at women of all ages and fitness levels.
OYG Davina contains over a thousand workouts and challenges across disciplines that include aerobics, yoga, dance, and boxing. The workouts are led by a team of expert fitness trainers and designed to be done at home with little or no equipment.
A full suite of complimentary features accompanies the exercise programs, including recipes, articles, and community support. Although the fitness app market is crowded, OYG Davina is worthy of your attention.
Download: OYG Davina (Subscription available, free trial available)
4. SPOKE
SPOKE is a free meditation app that made the list of the best new apps in 2022 for an excellent reason. Quite simply, there’s nothing quite like its blend of hip-hop, lo-fi beats, and mindfulness.
If you’ve tried other meditation programs that haven’t suited you, it’s worth sampling SPOKE’s fresh approach to meditation, created by musicians working with scientific experts and therapists in London. They have created a series of episodes that combine music, spoken word, and binaural beats to magical effect.
Download: SPOKE (Free)
5. Moleskine Balance Habits & Goals
In 2022 Moleskine added to its superb suite of productivity apps with Moleskine Balance Habits & Goals.
This beautifully presented and intuitive app helps you regain control of your time by timeboxing, or allocating portions of your time to focus fully on tasks. This empowers you to make positive choices about how you spend your precious days. The ultimate goal is to take better control of your life, reach your goals, and find balance and space for creativity and inspiration.
Download: Moleskine Balance (Free, subscription available)
6. SO VEGAN
SO VEGAN is the brainchild of Roxy Pope and Ben Pook, authors of several bestselling vegan cookbooks, who share over 400 healthy vegan recipes, complete with video instructions, in this nutrition app. SO VEGAN allows you to filter and categorize the catalog to find the perfect recipe for your needs. Bookmark your favorites and export ingredients into shopping lists.
With the worldwide movement towards cutting down on meat and dairy consumption for the good of the planet, this app is a great way to help you move towards plant-based eating. Other free vegan apps can also help you on your journey.
Download: SO VEGAN (Subscription required, free trial available)
7. The Doctor’s Kitchen
Another fantastic recipe app that debuted on the App Store in 2022 is The Doctor’s Kitchen. This is a new app created by medical doctor Rupy Aujila, who uses the latest research in nutritional medicine to supply healthy recipes that can help combat illness and promote well-being in everyone.
If you have any health issues, or you’re simply looking for advice on nutrition that goes far beyond counting calories, you’ll find lots of useful science-based material and inspiration in The Doctor’s Kitchen.
Download: The Doctor’s Kitchen (Free, subscription available)
8. Wakeout Kids
Wakeout can make quick workout breaks more fun, and the app has been a big hit among home workers and anyone who is too sedentary in their daily routines. It included a Wakeout Kids section tailoring quick exercise routines to suit children’s needs, which is now a standalone app.
Wakeout Kids is an excellent way for parents and educators to get kids active. It uses fun music and backgrounds to stimulate their imaginations as they follow the leader’s actions against backdrops such as computer games, the jungle, or a pirate ship. With its text-free interface, it will suit kids of any age.
Download: Wakeout Kids (Free)
9. Happy Place
Inspired by the Happy Place podcast, one of the top podcasts for positivity and inspiration, this app presents Fearne Cotton’s take on self-care. Happy Place is packed with meditation, breathwork, sleep stories, exercises, and advice. It’s all carefully curated to provide you with guidance from experts in their field. You can even journal your own thoughts within the app.
Download: Happy Place (Free, subscription available)
10. Lost Connections
Lost Connections is an app that provides advice and relief for anyone experiencing depression and anxiety. Based on Johann Hari’s best-selling book, Lost Connections will help you to understand depression and get some strategies and support to help you work through it.
The app might give you some clarity of mind if reading books seems too much to tackle. There’s also a Lost Connections community to help you find like-minded people to support you through this most isolating of conditions.
Download: Lost Connections (Free, subscription available)
Find Health and Well-Being Support on Apple’s App Store
Whatever you want to use your Apple Watch, iPhone, or iPad for, there’s an app to help make the process easier. It’s one of the great joys of owning an Apple device.
With this list, you can download fantastic tools for exercise, meditation, nutrition, self-care, and even depression support and advice. Each one has something fresh to offer, and there’s bound to be something on this list that can help to enhance your physical and mental health.