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The best fitness apps for New Yorkers

These great mobile tools and fitness apps will help motivate you to exercise, and count and control calories

Written by
Jordi Lippe-McGraw
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If smartphone apps like Seamless (one of our favorite food and drink delivery apps) can help you find that late-night slice of pizza you’re craving, they can help you achieve the body you’re jonesing for. These fitness apps help motivate you to get moving and improve your diet. So what are you waiting for? Use one of these apps, join a gym or class and start tracking your fitness goals.

RECOMMENDED: Find the best NYC fitness classes and gyms

The best fitness apps

Class Pass

Class Pass

FlyBarre, coolbarre, Pure Barre: what's the difference? With Class Pass you can test out all the studios for a monthly fee without having to commit to just one. Browse thousands of classes at a variety of gyms all over the city, whether you're looking for CrossFit, yoga, Pilates, dancing, boxing or even trampoline classes. Use your phone to reserve a spot for your favorite workout or discover new options you never thought to try. StripXpertease anyone? $125 a month to join. classpass.com.

Clean Plates

Clean Plates

Part of living a healthy, fit lifestyle is making smart food choices, but with so many dining-out temptations in New York, that can prove to be difficult. This app helps you easily navigate the healthiest restaurants in the city, whether you're vegan, pescetarian or your diet is Paleo, raw, etc. Unlike other restaurant apps, this one allows you to see where the food is sourced and nutritional information. Free. app.cleanplates.com.

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Grokker

Grokker

Hoping to go online in order to cook amazing meals and practice yoga when she traveled, retired Internet executive Lorna Borenstein created high-quality expert-led videos in three key wellness areas: yoga, fitness and cooking. Whether you have 60 minutes or a New York minute, you can get a solid workout and cook a meal that helps promote weight loss. The app also automatically tracks calories burned. Basic package is free. Premium is $9.99 a month. grokker.com.

GymPact

GymPact

Getting paid to work out would make getting to the gym a whole lot easier, right? Usually reserved for professional athletes or celebrities, this app helps users earn money by sticking to their goals. You make a pact about how many days you'll exercise and determine how much you'll pay if you don't accomplish it. Keep track of your sweat sessions by checking at the gym or counting the mileage from your bike/run/walk with a GPS. Free. pactapp.com.

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Headspace

Headspace

Sure, you've figured out a million ways to take care of your body with unlimited choices of workout classes and healthy dining establishments, but what about your brain? Daily living in NYC means hectic schedules, late nights and little personal space. This practical guided meditation app for beginners helps clear your head and quiet the noise in just 10 minutes a day. Free for Level 1 of the Foundation Course. $12.99 and $94.99 yearly auto-renew subscriptions available. headspace.com/headspace-meditation-app.

mapmyrun

mapmyrun

Do you know how long a city block is, exactly? You don't need to! Head out for a run or walk and the GPS capabilities will track how far you went. You not only see how your training is progressing, but you get to join a community to see who else is hitting the streets and get recommendations on new routes to try. Free. mapmyrun.com/app.

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My Fitness Pal

My Fitness Pal

Even though the calorie counts on menus are helpful, it's hard to know how many calories are in that soft pretzel you want from the street cart. MyFitnessPal lets you input every bite of food into a tracker that reveals the nutritional values, as well as what changes you need to make to lose, gain or maintain your weight. With the app's huge database, you can even account for that gluten-free vegan pineapple turnover. Free. myfitnesspal.com/apps.

Strava

Strava

Meet the Facebook of fitness apps. This social community of athletes at all levels lets you swap bike and run routes and join group challenges with friends and complete strangers. Traveling abroad? You can check out the app for local course suggestions and popular segments wherever you go. There's even a leaderboard to create a bit of competition in a community that includes some pros. Free. strava.com/mobile.

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TroupeFit

TroupeFit

You may feel like Jennifer Lopez or Beyonce when you use this on-demand fitness app. With the push of a button, you can hire a personal trainer to come wherever you are, whenever you want, to put you through a challenging one-on-one session that lasts 45 minutes. Choose between general training, yoga or Pilates from certified professionals who provide all the equipment; all you have to do is show up. Bring a friend for a discounted rate. $49 per private session; $85 for a two-person session. troupefit.com.

TrainingPeaks

TrainingPeaks

If an Ironman or adventure race is in your future, this app can help keep you on track. Used by some serious athletes, TrainingPeaks lets you and your coach remotely plan workouts in a variety of sports and track your progress in terms of heart rate, power and intensity. It even syncs automatically with more than 100 compatible devices to make sure the data is accurate. Free. trainingpeaks.com.

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