If you're trying to lose or gain weight, you'll get a daily calorie goal to shoot for, too. Enter everything you eat and drink during the day, and then let the app approximate the number of calories and nutrients you're consuming. The mobile apps for FitBit and Jawbone also offer meal-tracking options, so you'll keep up with what you eat. If you're serious about tracking everything or want the most accurate step counts, you'll want dedicated health tools-but if you're just getting started, your phone's built-in tools just might be enough.įor that, here are the best tools to track every detail about your health.

And if you buy a smartwatch, it'll log more health stats to your built-in health app, making it a simple way to track everything. Then, you can manually enter other data to track, such as your weight or calorie intake, or use other apps that integrate with Apple Health or Google Fit to track sleep patterns and more. Your phone can't do everything, so the built-in tools typically just monitor motion, while Samsung's phones also include a heart rate monitor. Odds are, it'll already have data about how much you've been walking, giving you something to start with. There, you'll get an overview of how far you've walked, how many flights of stairs you've climbed, and more.

Just open the built-in Apple Health app on an iPhone, S Health on a Samsung phone, or Google Fit on any other Android device. There's been simple motion tracking apps in the App Store for years, but starting with the iPhone 5S and Samsung Galaxy S5, new smartphones include a motion tracker that watches how much you move throughout the day. Instead, the one gadget you're least likely to leave home without is the simplest way to start tracking your health automatically for free: your phone. You don't need to buy a pedometer, a health tracker, or a shiny new smartwatch.

How to keep on track of my fitness