65% Growth in Health-related Apps in 9 months

Did you know that according to an article in September 2015, there are around 165,000 health-related apps? Compare that with another article just 9 months earlier in December 2014 when there were (only) 100,000 apps.

With typical New Year Resolutions laying down goals to lose X pounds; reduce drink and food intake; go to the gym more…it is no wonder that people have turned to mobile apps to help them meet their goals.

As I’ve paid closer attention to health-related apps, it is apparent that despite more exercise still being seen as the number 1 way to lose weight and get fit, it should really be number2.

By chance, my wife recently met with a nutritionist at our local gym who was offering free advice and guidance. As her discussion covered a number of topics, one stood out for me above all the rest. A healthy body is 70% nutrition and 30% exercise.

This is similar to what a good friend of mine recently told me…and he should know as he is Head Strength and Conditioning Coach at Harlequins. He said that fitness is not just about exercise. There comes a point when no matter how much more exercise you do, you will see only marginal gains. Diet is where you will see the difference.

My friend even showed me an app that helps me track what calories I eat – “My Fitness Pal” – apparently it is very popular with athletes. Searching by typing in a food was easy with pre-set calories. With a handy barcode scanner, I was able to add food and drink within seconds and monitor my daily intake. The app has nothing to do with exercise, although you can add exercise to your daily record to show how many calories you burnt and how much more you can eat as a result.

So why are people turning to health-related apps?

For the serious ones it is quite simply an easy way to keep a digital record of what exercise they are doing and what they are eating. Gone are the little pocket diaries that live in the gym bag. With an app, they can update their digital diary all day long and refer back to it with ease.

For those needing a digital personal trainer, an app can help set an exercise schedule and keep them on track to meet their goals. It is less intimidating than paying someone to shout and scream at you and there is the comfort of switching it off if it gets too much.

My point about all of this is that when it comes to the topic of health, diet and exercise, a few years ago not many would have thought a mobile app would help people meet their goals. There is no getting away from the fact that mobile apps are impacting on the most unsuspecting areas of our life.