The Android phone OS is known for its flexibility and openness, in that it supports free and community-based applications and there seems to be an app for literally anything.  Keeping track of everything you need to do to remain healthy can be quite difficult. Thankfully, though, we have a bunch of  great Android apps that can help us with that. And in this article, I’ve listed the best Android apps for health and fitness.

All found for free in the Google Play store, these are 10 invaluable apps for health-conscious people around the world.

Noom Weight Loss Coach

So far, over 20 million pounds have been cumulatively lost by the users of Noom Weight Loss coach, an app that gives you daily tasks to help you create changes in your day-to-day behavior, to facilitate long-term weight loss. As well as enabling you to track your dietary habits and exercise routine, Noom provides fun challenges and daily informational articles on health and wellness.

Download from GooglePlay.

IQ Test

A healthy mind is just as important as a healthy body, and the IQ test app is the perfect, fun and free way to keep your mental faculties sharp. Will you find yourself in the normal range of 80 to 120, or might you be one of the gifted few, like Stephen Hawking and Bill Gates, whose IQs are as high as 160? Download it and try the app to find out!

Download from Google Play.

Recipe Search

This app is more than just a recipe database and bookmarking app. With a highly active community, Recipe Search from allthecooks.com provides a lively and convenient way of getting in touch with other people who have similar dietary needs to you. For example, it can help you to find diabetic-friendly, gluten-free and vegetarian recipes with ease.

Download from Google Play.

Daily Yoga

This app provides daily yoga exercises, with various difficulty levels and durations, and with calming background music. The app has also attracted a buzzing online community, providing social support to anyone who may need it.

Download from Google Play.

Cessation Nation

Join the nation in stopping smoking! Members of the Cessation Nation community aim to help each other to stop smoking. The app itself helps you to track how much money you have saved since your last cigarette and rewards you every so often with milestones.

Download from Google Play.

Water Your Body

Everybody knows that they should drink about eight glasses of water a day, but many of us simply forget or fail to take the time to do this. This app gives you timed reminders, eight times a day, to drink a glass of water, helping you to stay properly hydrated and refreshed.

Download from Google Play.

Weight Watchers Mobile

The world-famous Weight Watchers group goes mobile with this handy Android app, which makes it easy to stay in control of your daily calorie intake. The app lets you track your food, activity and weight, presenting all the important data in an interactive chart that you can share with the rest of the community.

Download from Google Play.

My Tracks

With the assistance of your smartphone’s GPS sensor, the Google My Tracks app enables you to record your path, speed and distance travelled in one easy to manage interface. Whether you’re a cyclist, runner, or walker, My Track can help you to identify your best routes and to share them with others via Google+, Facebook or Twitter.

Download from Google Play.

Cardiograph

The amazing cardiograph turns your Android smartphone into a heart-rate monitor. Install the app and simply place your finger lightly over the camera lens to receive an accurate, real-time heart rate reading in seconds. Whether you need to know your heart rate for medical reasons or so you can track your exercise, Cardiograph can be a great tool to carry in your pocket.

Download from Google Play.

WebMD

WebMD is a handy Android encyclopedia that provides health information and decision-support tools, such as a symptom checker, drugs and treatment information and local health listings. Another great feature of the app is that it provides offline first-aid information, for in case you have your smartphone but no Internet access in a time of need.

Download from Google Play.

This completes our list of the best health and fitness related apps for Android. Hopefully these apps will help you take care of your health.

About the Author:

This is a guest post by Jeff, a health fanatic who writes for IFC, a South African health insurance portal that offers free (not yet mobile) tools to compare medical aids (try it here) and look up chronic illness coverage (try it here).