New Year’s resolutions: 5 fitness apps to support your 2026 goals
For many people, New Year’s resolutions start with downloading an app. Fitness trackers and habit makers have become the default way to mark January as a turning point, especially in the wellness space.
But resolutions, even mediated by gentle push notifications, always come loaded with expectations.
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As TikTok creator @notwildlin said in a video with over 210,000 views, while the new year is presented as a “chance for renewal,” an “opportunity,” even a “portal,” there is a time when that mindset can turn in on itself. “At some point you have to stop being the first person to give up,” he says.
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“You can’t keep throwing everything overboard and rebuilding everything from scratch,” he says in the video. “You are not a Phoenix, you are a human being. And the foundation you have built for yourself is not so insignificant that you should be so willing and eager to undermine it and start again. You have done enough! You have done a lot!”
This tension becomes especially visible around fitness and wellness resolutions, which are often less focused on how we feel and more on how our bodies look — ideals that have long been shaped by white supremacist beauty standards.
Still, if you’re heading into the new year with hope and curiosity to feel better, there’s an app designed to help.
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There’s a reason why Strava has been so loved by so many people for so long. Part social network, part fitness tracker, Strava is a great way to track your workouts while staying connected with your friends. Plus, with the premium membership, you can compare your workouts week by week, month by month and year by year.
With Strava, no one runs alone anymore. That’s the problem.
Strava is probably best suited for people who have a cardio-related resolution, like running a 5K, cycling to work once a week, or taking a 500-mile hike. It’s great for tracking other workouts, including weightlifting or rock climbing, but the map tracking and mileage counter can’t be beat.
This habit tracker is one of the most recommended in the self-improvement subreddit.
You can use the app to track almost any goal, from drinking a specific number of glasses of water daily to 10,000 steps. And you can see all of your progress over time, which makes it a lot of fun – and validating! – to watch in March after you’ve really committed.
There are plenty of apps for tracking weightlifting progress, from Hevy to Fitbod to Boostcamp. Hevy provides a detailed breakdown of your progress over the year, including the number of times you lifted, the number of PRs you achieved, and the total number of reps you completed.
One user says it has “great watch integration,” while others find the free version sufficient. But you may eventually want to upgrade to the paid version, depending on how many custom workouts you plan to use.
If you are looking for a fitness app that tracks your workouts And offers you workouts to try, Apple Fitness is the way to go. This app works especially well if you own devices within the Apple ecosystem. (If not, you might want to try the Peloton app, which also has great workouts.)
This app, along with apps like Headspace, is great if your fitness goals are more closely tied to your brain health and wellness. If you want to start meditating more in the new year, try an app like Calm.
