15 apps to help you stick to this year's resolutions.
Everyone has their New Year resolutions and tries to stick to them as much as possible, but after a week or two we quickly forget what we’ve promised to change this year. However, there is a new way to help to stick to this year’s resolutions – apps. So, whether you want to get in shape, quit smoking or just learn to deal with stress, here are 15 apps that will motivate you to do just that.
Get fit:
7 Minute Workout - If you want to lose weight, get stronger or be healthier, try 7 Minute Workout. The workout is based on High Intensity Circuit Training (HICT), proven to be the “safest, most effective, and most efficient” way to improve your muscular and aerobic fitness and make you healthier. You won’t need any equipment and all the exercises are explained in videos so you can be sure you’re doing it right.
Google Fit – This app helps you to effortlessly track every movement. As you walk, run or cycle throughout the day, your phone or Android Wear watch automatically logs them with Google Fit. You can see real-time stats and set goals based on steps, time, distance and calories burned.
Running for Weight Loss – This app is designed especially for weight loss with its unique interval plans of running, walking and sprint intervals for maximum calorie burning. You can choose your level of difficulty and listen to workout music, provided by 1000+ talented DJs.
Eat healthily:
Spark Recipe - You’re one click away from over 500,000 recipes from the world’s largest healthy recipes website. All the recipes have been tried and tested by home cooks and the app allows you to see the calories, carbs and other key nutrients.
Shoptimix - Manage your shopping lists, enjoy personalised suggestions and get grocery shopping done in seconds. You can browse products from top UK supermarkets and the app features expert recommendations tailored to different nutritional goals, diets or lifestyles such as foods for energy, mood boosting, vegan, gluten free, dairy free or weight-loss.
Quit smoking:
MyQuit Coach – This app creates a personalised plan to help you quit smoking. Through a physician approved, interactive and easy to use the app, you’ll evaluate your current status, set attainable goals and adjust preferences according to your needs. You will have the option to choose to quit smoking right away or gradually decrease your daily nicotine intake—tracking the times you smoke and have nicotine cravings along the way.
Smoke Free – A scientifically build app that shows you in a simple way techniques to help those cravings. The calculator tells you how much money you've saved and how many cigarettes you've not smoked, the calendar tells you how long you’ve been smoke-free and how much life you've regained, bars show you how giving up smoking is improving your health, and a diary shows how your cravings for cigarettes are decreasing over time.
Learn something new:
TED Talks - Feed your curiosity and expand your world with TED Talks. Explore more than 2,000 TED Talks from remarkable people, by topic and mood, from tech and science to the surprises of your own psychology. Videos offer subtitles in over 100 languages, there are podcasts and you can download both video and audio to play offline.
Khan Academy – This app allows you to learn almost anything for free, with over 10,000 videos and explanations at your fingertips in math, science, economics, history, and much more. There are interactive Common Core aligned practice questions that give you instant feedback and step-by-step hints and you can keep learning even when you’re offline.
Duolingo – If your New Year’s resolution is to learn a new language, then Duolingo is your little helper. You can choose from English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Dutch, Irish, Danish, Swedish, Russian, Ukrainian, Esperanto, Polish and Turkish. It’s fast, fun and - most importantly - free. Practice speaking, reading, listening and writing, play a game, answer questions and complete lessons to improve your vocabulary and grammar.
Save money:
Splitwise - Use Splitwise to split household bills with roommates, to figure out costs for a group vacation, or just to remember when a friend spots you for lunch. You can view your balances, track spending trends, set up email reminders for bills and much more.
Spendee – It’s a financial app that tracks your expenses and optimises your budget. The app is showing your income and spending in beautiful and simple infographics. You can join accounts with friends and family and customise your own wallets for special occasions like a holiday, a new car or a wedding.
Manage stress:
Zen – Relax and Meditation - If you want to live a happier, healthier and more balanced emotional life, Zen is the perfect app for you. It offers a diverse and ever-growing amount of content and features, such as weekly new guided meditations, deep sleep music and morning music for energy, and a unique mood monitoring feature allowing you to keep track of your emotional status.
Headspace - Using proven meditation and mindfulness techniques this app will show you how to train your mind for a healthier, happier and more enjoyable life. You start with a free Take 10 programme, which will teach you the basics of meditation and for only ten minutes a day. If you enjoy the programme and want to learn more, then you can subscribe and get access to hundreds of hours of original meditations.
Read more:
Bookout - Bookout helps you track and manage your books, make a habit out of reading and see your progress over time. You can add quotes and thoughts for each book, and set up monthly and yearly goals so you can be sure to never break that New Year resolution.
Goodreads - Tap into the world's largest social network for readers with the Goodreads app. Read thousands of book reviews, keep a virtual bookshelf of what you've read, and build your to-read list as you discover great new books. The app is absolutely free, has more than 35 million members and offers more than 1 billion books.
