* This article was originallly written for and appeared in iPhone Life Magazine.

Well.

How about the Holiday Feeding Frenzy, huh?

I’ve managed to pack away enough holiday food to keep me at the gym for months, just sweating little droplets of fruitcake and chocolate truffles. I think I speak for most of us when I say it’s time to Stop The Insanity!

And what better way to do that than with some apps that will help you stay fit and active despite the holiday season’s offerings. And if you’re not ready to jump on the wagon yet, you will be. New Years is on its way and just about everybody has either “start flossing” or “get more exercise” at the top of their list of resolutions.

Many a gym membership has been purchased in January!

And you know what else?  Lots of apps too!

Here’s a list of some of my favorites:

MyFitnessPal

I admit that I don’t really use this one as much as my wife does. She loves it because she can keep track of how much water she’s drinking, how many calories she’s consumed, her weight, her calorie goals, her physical activity, and she can see where she stands nutritionally for the day. What’s pretty cool is that you can scan bar codes to get the nutrition facts for many foods so that you don’t have to put them in yourself. It saves a lot of time! You can even set it up so that every time you make an entry, that information is shared with your friends! If you’re the competitive type, this will totally turn your crank!  It will also keep you from eating things that are off limits if the whole world is gonna know about it!

Up by Jawbone

This one requires the special equipment of a wristband that helps you track your activities and your sleep. The wristband can also track your steps, distance traveled, your pace and intensity level and GPS routes. It even vibrates to tell you to wake up for the day or even to get up off your lazy behind and move if you’ve been inactive for too long. I have to say it’s pretty cool! I can join health challenges, compete with friends, or collaborate with a team to help keep me motivated and engaged. The thing I like the best though is that I can take quick photos to create a journal of what I eat, and follow prompts to record how each meal makes me feel:

Blue cheese encrusted steak at Ruth’s Chris Steak House: made me feel AWESOME!

Ahem…you see why fitness apps are a good idea for me… 

Waterlogged

I hate drinking water. If you’ve been paying attention, you know what my favorite beverage is, and that ain’t it!

But Waterlogged has helped me get on board the hydration train. All I have to do is take a picture of the fancy water bottle my wife bought me, and record my water intake. I can set reminders throughout the day so I don’t forget to drink, and I can take pictures of all the different cups and glasses I use, which makes it really easy to select a size. It even records partial servings!  Not that I need that because I always finish all my water like a good boy.  There’s water in coffee, right? 

Nike+ GPS

I’m just going to admit right now that I love this mostly because I can outrun my friends playing Nike+ Tag. But it’s also great for mapping my runs, recording my pace, distance and run route thorough my iPhone’s GPS and accelerometer. It’s also great to help me stay motivated while I’m running because it comes with my very own cheering section!  Nike + GPS also gives me voice feedback while I’m running. And then when I’ve had a totally kick butt run; I get to brag about it to the rest of the Nike_ fans. In. Your. Face!  Nobody has to know I went home and collapsed from exhaustion

So that’s it! Apps that can help you stay active-- even while Auntie Mabel’s triple chocolate fudge cake’s a callin.’