Smartphone apps help with New Year's health and fitness goals

MILWAUKEE -- After those holiday indulgences, the New Year is time for many to get back on the health and fitness track -- and there's an app for that!

The "Lose It" app for Android, iPhone and Kindle helps users create a weight loss goal and customizes a daily calorie budget of food and exercise to meet that goal. The app includes calorie content for thousands of name-brand and restaurant foods.

The "Fooducate" app for iPhone and Android also lets users keep tabs on what they're eating and how to make healthier choices. Scanning a product's barcode on a store shelf unlocks information about calories and hidden ingredients that could throw a healthy diet off track.

"Gym Pact" for iPhone and Android allows gym-goers to set a weekly target for check-ins at the gym, and set cash stakes if the workout is missed.

If a goal is met, small rewards are added up each day. If a workout is missed, a gym-goer has to pay up!

For a slightly different motivation to work out, the "Zombies Run" app for iPhone, Android and Windows phones features a series of adventures that keep people walking, jogging or running for their virtual lives -- burning off real calories in the process.