It’s the start of a new year, and it’s time to undo all the damage I did to my body at the end of the last year. While I try to get back in shape, with running, weights, and diet, I figured it would be a great time to actually compare apps to decide which is the best running app for Apple Watch. I’ve already used a few of them, but I’d really like to see which one is the best.

Background

At the end of December, it seemed like it was party after event after party led me to completely give up on keeping track of my weight and activity. I allowed myself to do that because I needed a fresh start. I can usually find motivation with a definite start date and goal. In this case, I have a vacation planned for March, where I’ll be on the beach with my wife.

A few years ago, I started to take my fitness very series. I had a personal trainer, I started to eat better, I went running on my own. After it was all said and done I lost almost 40 pounds, and improved my fitness to a level better than it had ever been before.

I managed to keep that level of fitness and weight at a good level for a long time. I’m actually looking forward to getting back into the groove.

Plan

The best way to lose weight for me has been to manage my diet. That’s goal #1. I’m planning on cutting out those bad simple carbs and making my food much more boring. I’m also going to try to avoid fried food as much as possible.

Goal #2 is to get back to my weight training and activity level. I’m going to be using the app Fitbod in the gym. I love Fitbod because it’s like having a personal trainer create your workouts for you. There’s an app for your iPhone or your Apple Watch and the workouts have been great.

Goal #3 and probably the most important is to get my cardio back. To that extent, I plan to start running more. I was struggling to run in October and November because of pain in my legs. I didn’t experience that pain any other time I exercised so I think it was my shoes. I got some new shoes for Christmas, so I’m hoping that will help.

Determining the best Running App

As I mentioned in my Top 5 Apps for staying in shape, I’ve been using Strava, but mostly because it integrates well with Achievement. I’m more than ready to try out other apps though to see if I’m missing out on anything. I’m looking forward to running just to determine which app is the best running app for Apple Watch

The apps I’m planning on comparing are the native Activity app on the Apple Watch, Strava, Nike Run Club, and Runkeeper. All of these have iPhone and Apple Watch apps. I do all my running these days with only the Apple Watch, so that’s my focus on testing these apps.

I’m planning on using each app for 2-3 runs. I’ll use each app and report back on what I’ve liked and haven’t liked as I use them, hopefully being able to pick one over the others by the end of the month.

Wrap Up

So that’s my plan for getting in shape and to decide which is the best running app for the Apple Watch. I’m hoping that this helps me stay focused on what I’m trying to do by March. I also hope that this helps others pick an app that will help them get in shape as well.

Disclaimer: I know that there are better fitness devices out there in the world. This is designed to help the average/active Apple Watch user.

What do you think of my plan? Do you have an app you’d like me to test as well?

The Best Running App for Apple Watch Series

Workout App

RunKeeper

Nike Run Club

Strava

The Results

Leave me a message in the comments, hit me up on Twitter, or jump into a discussion on Facebook.