The best Alexa commands for exercise, better sleep and stress relief

Like the  Google Home , Amazon's smart Echo speakers boast a vast collection of skills to make your life easier. More than just a fun companion, Alexa can check your bank account balance, call you an Uber, check the weather and give you travel recommendations.

But did you know Alexa can even serve as your very own personal trainer, meditation instructor, virtual nurse and sleep machine?

Read more: Workplace burnout is now an official medical diagnosis | 'Gaming disorder' deemed an official illness by World Health Organization | What it's like inside the doctor's office of the future

Fitness

Alexa works with tons of fitness apps, and as such, it's a pretty great fitness coach.

Fitbit

If you connect your Fitbit to your Amazon Alexa account, Alexa will tell you stats like how many more steps you need for the day, how much deep sleep you got the night before and more. Just say:

• "Alexa, ask Fitbit how I'm doing today."
• "Alexa, ask Fitbit how I slept last night."
• "Alexa, ask Fitbit how much water I need to drink today."

Motiv Ring

The Motiv fitness ring also syncs with Alexa. Tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, open Motiv Ring "
• "Alexa, ask Motiv Ring for my stats"
• "Alexa, ask Motiv Ring for my heart rate."

Five Minute Workout: Core and Cardio

In a pinch for time? Tell your Echo, "Alexa, open Five Minute Workout" and Alexa will guide you through a five-minute routine to get your heart rate up.

Your Morning Routine

Fitness isn't always about long distances and heavy weights. I like this Alexa skill because it's something most people need but often neglect. Say, "Alexa, open your morning routine," and it'll guide you through a 20-minute stretch session that targets your ankles, back, knees and hips.

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Healthy eating

MyFitnessPal

You can use Alexa with MyFitnessPal Lite or premium. Alexa can handle just about anything you'd need to open the app on your phone for. Try saying:

• "Alexa, open MyFitnessPal."
• "Alexa, ask MyFitnessPal how am I doing today."
• "Alexa, tell MyFitnessPal to log my weight."

H2O-Pal

If you want to track water only, H20-Pal serves as a handy Alexa skill. You can tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, ask H2O-Pal how close am I to reaching my daily goal."
• "Alexa, tell H2O-Pal I drank eight ounces of water."

Alexa's Daily Health Tip

This Alexa skill wants you to focus on the little victories. Say, "Alexa, launch Daily Health Tip," and she'll tell you one thing you should focus on for the day. For example, it might tell you to watch your salt intake or focus on reaching your step goal.

Track by Nutritionix

With Food Tracker, keeping a food diary is easier than ever. You can log foods via voice commands, as well as get calorie information. Try these commands:

• "Alexa, open Food Tracker."
• "Alexa, tell Food Tracker I had two eggs for breakfast."
• "Alexa, tell Food Tracker to log a cup of skim milk."
• "Alexa, ask Food Tracker how many calories are in two slices of wheat toast."

Mind

Mindfulness can slip by the wayside when you're facing the daily hustle and bustle of life. Alexa makes it easier to prioritize your emotional state of being.

Guided Meditation: Meditation of the Day for Calm

This Alexa skill comes from the developers behind Stop, Breathe & Think, a great meditation app for emotional wellness. Tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, open Guided Meditation."
• "Alexa, ask Guided Meditation to play meditation."
• "Alexa, play next."

Make Me Smile

This fun Alexa skill brightens your day with happy fun facts. Just say, "Alexa, make me smile," and it'll tell you something uplifting.

Read more: The 10 best meditation apps of 2019

Headspace

Even if you don't subscribe to the paid version of Headspace, you can enable daily meditations for free. To get more meditations, connect to your Headspace account. To meditate, tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, tell Headspace I'm ready to meditate"
• "Alexa, open Headspace"

Spa Music

If guided meditation isn't your jam, you can launch Spa Music to play soothing soundtracks while you meditate or relax on your own. Just say, "Alexa, play Spa Music."

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Personal Care

Like Google Assistant, Alexa's repertoire of personal care commands is small. There is one Alexa skill in this category I love, though:

My Dermatologist

Tell Alexa, "Ask My Dermatologist what the UV index is today." It'll tell you the index for your ZIP code and whether you should wear sunscreen. My Dermatologist also offers skincare tips and information. Tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, ask My Dermatologist for my skin tip."
• "Alexa, tell My Dermatologist I need help."

Medical

Find healthcare providers, ask questions about symptoms and alert contacts when you need assistance with these Alexa skills.

Ask My Buddy

This Alexa skill allows you to alert friends and family when you need help. It's not a substitute for 911, but offers a great way to ask for help. You can alert just one person or your entire Personal Alert Network. Say:

• "Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert Mom."
• "Alexa, Ask My Buddy to alert everyone."

Ask My Buddy will then send a text message, email or voice call to your contacts.

WebMD

WebMD can answer virtually any medical question you have about symptoms or a condition. Try these commands:

• "Alexa, open WebMD"
• "Alexa, ask WebMD 'what are the side effects of ibuprofen?'"
• "Alexa, ask WebMD 'what is diabetes?'"

Virtual Nurse

Another impressive Alexa skill, Virtual Nurse hands out detailed information on medical conditions, as well as interesting fun facts. Tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, open Virtual Nurse."
• "Alexa, ask Virtual Nurse what's the normal temperature of a baby."
• "Alexa, ask Virtual Nurse what Warfarin does."

You may be able to take advantage of a few other Alexa skills for healthcare if you're a member of certain services or groups: 

• Express Scripts members can check the status of a home delivery prescription and get notifications when their prescriptions ship.
• Employees with Cigna Health Today can manage their health improvement goals and keep track of wellness incentives.
• Parents and caregivers of children who had surgery at Boston Children's Hospital can use My Children's Enhanced Recovery After Surgery to get updates on recovery progress and post-op appointments.
• Swedish Health Connect customers can find nearby urgent care centers same-day appointments.
• Atrium Health customers in North and South Carolina can find a nearby urgent care centers and schedule a same-day appointments.
• Livongo members can pull up blood sugar readings and trends, and receive insights and personalized health "nudges." 

Sleep

If you have trouble falling asleep at night, enlist Alexa to help.

Sleep Right

Waking up refreshed is a phenomenon that goes deeper than just getting your eight hours — waking up at the wrong point in your sleep cycle can result in grogginess, no matter how long you slept. Sleep Right determines the best time for you to go to bed and wake up based on sleep cycles.

• "Alexa, ask Sleep Right what time I should go to bed."
• "Alexa, ask Sleep Right to help me get up before 6 AM"

Read more: How to tell if you have sleep apnea

Sleep and Relaxation Sounds

Alexa has a good deal of ambient sound skills, but this particular skill offers more than 125 different sounds to lull you to sleep. Tell Alexa:

• "Alexa, open Sleep Sounds."
• "Alexa, play Thunderstorm."
• "Alexa, play next."
• "Alexa, set a sleep timer for two hours."