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Resources to help you achieve your health goals

This course includes information about your phone’s health suite app, and lists examples of various kinds of health and wellbeing app.

The Android health suite app is called Google Fit:

  • It comes pre-installed or you can download it for free from the Play Store
  • Google Fit counts your steps each day, and you can set a target
  • Heart Points are awarded when you do more strenuous exercise
  • The way points are awarded is based on recommendations by the World Health Organisation
  • Google Fit can connect to other exercise apps and your activity can count toward your Heart Points score
  • The app tracks your location but won’t share it with other apps. You can turn this off
  • Google Fit also works on iPhone
  • Some Android phones have a manufacturer health app similar to Google Fit, for example Samsung Health.
Watching yoga on your laptop

The health suite app on Apple iPhone

The Apple health suite app is called Apple Health:

  • It is exclusive to iPhone, and doesn’t have a version for the iPad, or Android phones
  • There’s a companion app called Fitness+ which offers guided video workouts
  • Fitness+ workouts can sync with Apple Health to count toward your daily score
  • You can see a summary of your health at the top of the main screen
  • Stand Hours count how often you stand up during the day
  • After you’ve used the app for a while, it will start to give suggestions for how to meet health goals
  • The Apple Watch adds more kinds of health tracking when paired with your iPhone and Apple Health
  • Apple Health can track your walking steadiness, which can be a good indicator of overall health.
The information in Google Fit, Apple Health, and other health apps is often given in the form of advice. You should always follow your doctor’s advice and instruction over anything a health app suggests.

Resources for healthy eating

You can use websites to plan meals and order ingredients. It’s usually easier to order from a supermarket site, but an independent recipe site might be better for ideas or inspiration.

There are thousands of recipe sites online. Here are some popular examples suited to Australian tastes and available produce:

If your doctor has recommended or instructed you to follow a special diet for medical reasons, make sure to follow this as a priority over any advice in an app. If you are unsure about anything an app tells you, talk with your doctor about it before changing your diet.

Resources for exercise

You can use YouTube to watch exercise workouts or even exercise alongside a guided workout. Remember that you can subscribe to a YouTube channel to get alerts about when that channel has uploaded a new video.

These YouTube channels are popular for exercising at home:

  • The Body Coach TV
  • HASfit
  • Fitness Blender
  • SeniorShape

To check out these channels for yourself, type the name in YouTube’s Search bar.

Some apps focus on specific kinds of exercise, and you can find them in by searching in your mobile phone’s app store. Examples include:

  • Strava for running and walking
  • Map My Walk for more focus on walking
  • Down Dog for yoga, meditation, workouts
  • Pilates Anytime for pilates
  • SilverSneakers GO for exercises for 65+

Resources for mindfulness and meditation

You can use YouTube to find channels about mindfulness and meditation too, or your favourite podcast app to subscribe and download podcasts about wellbeing. There are also apps that focus on mindfulness and meditation. Some examples include:

  • Headspace
  • Calm
  • Healthy Minds Program

Note that some of these apps require a paid subscription to use after a trial period, while others are free.

Additional resources and help

You can see a list of apps assessed and recommended by the Australian Government at: www.healthdirect.gov.au/health-and-wellbeing-apps

It’s important to remember that apps, podcasts, and videos online provide only general advice on mindfulness and emotional wellbeing and aren’t a replacement for one-on-one counselling or seeking medical advice.

If you feel you need help urgently, or just want to chat, you can:

beconnected.esafety.gov.au