Phone in your fitness with these apps for iPhone, Android

Smart phones like Android and iPhone offer hundreds of fitness apps designed to make it more fun to work out, easier to track progress and effortless to make wise food choices.

Zoe Yearout, a personal trainer in Olympia, Wash., says using a good nutritional app can yield information that leads to a weight-loss breakthrough.

"By keeping track of what you eat, you learn a lot," Yearout said. "What are your vices? A lot of people don't eat enough veggies and protein. Some eat too much processed food. Oftentimes, people think they eat great, but once they take a closer look, they realize it's not so great."

We might not all be able to have sizzling hot abs, but there's no reason we can't have the hottest apps. Here are 11 more apps that might improve your fitness routine:

• Lose It!Cost: FreePlatform: iPhone

Lose It! is designed to help you lose weight by establishing a calorie budget and then helps keep you from blowing that budget as you log daily workouts and meals. The app's designer, FitNow Inc., claims 86 percent of its active users lose weight. Lose It! lets you keep your information private or share it via Facebook and Twitter. You also can export data to spreadsheets and earn badge icons as you reach key benchmarks on your way to your goal.

• Restaurant NutritionCost: Free

Platform: Android and iPhone

One of the most challenging parts of eating out is trying to calculate nutritional content. This app takes a lot of the guesswork out by putting the nutritional data (including allergens) for more than 100 restaurants in the palm of your hand. Find something healthy from a list of more than 1,900 food items and get directions to the nearest restaurant serving that item. The app includes a food journal.

• FatSecret Calorie CounterCost: Free

Platform: Android and iPhone

This app keeps track of your calorie consumption by allowing you to enter foods, scan restaurant menus or even use the bar code scanner (or manually enter bar codes). The food diary keeps you constantly updated on the number of calories you've consumed and burned and helps you plan meals.

• Yoga StretchCost: 99 cents

Platform: iPhone

Your phone turns into a yoga instructor with this app, which includes a soothing voice, how-to images and calm music. The routines on this app are designed to improve strength, balance, posture and flexibility. For something a little gentler, try Yoga Relax.

• Plus 3Cost: Free

Platform: iPhone and Palm

The Plus 3 app tracks the distance, pace, speed and elevation change of your workouts while mapping your route using GPS. The information can then be uploaded to your free account at plus3network.com, where sponsors make a charitable donation for each mile you log. Choose one of dozens of charities to benefit from your exercise.

• Body FitnessCost: Free

Platform: Android and iPhone

The Body Fitness app is packed with more than 340 exercises, workouts, more than 35 yoga poses, more than 35 recipes and a body-mass-index calculator. The app includes illustrations demonstrating how to perform the exercises and a calendar to log your progress.

• AdaptunesCost: 99 cents

Platform: iPhone

Adaptunes eliminates the need to fumble with the volume control at intersections or any other place your workout might slow down for a few moments. The volume decreases automatically when you slow down and gets louder the faster you go.

• RunstarCost: Free

Platform: Android

Runstar tracks the time, distance and elevation of your runs while mapping your route. It then serves up graphs that allow you to study your results for the day, month or year. Push the large "Power up" button on the screen when you need a shot of energy and your device responds by playing your-predetermined "power-up" song. ("Eye of the Tiger" never fails.)

• CardioTrainerCost: Free

Platform: Android

This app is loaded with features designed to record your workouts and motivate you to work harder. CardioTrainer maps your routes, counts your steps, gives voice feedback that updates you on your distance, time, pace and even calories burned. Other features allow you to compare your workouts to other CardioTrainer users around the world. Add a free widget that posts your total calories burned for the week on your phone's home screen.

• BeerGut FitnessCost: 99 cents

Platform: Android

Ever wonder the impact a six-pack of beer has on your six-pack dreams? BeerGut Fitness tells you precisely the damage each drink has on your waist. Simply enter what you drink and the app tells you precisely how much you'll need to work out to offset the caloric impact.