We live in an age where technology is not only used but outright essential to everyday life. Whilst some people may prefer the old days before iPhones and tablets replaced telephones and toys; it’s just impractical to refuse to acknowledge the incredible benefits that utilising technology has. In a time where there is virtually an app for everything, access to education and information couldn’t be easier!
Apps To Help Improve Your Health
You’ve heard the phrase “your health is your wealth”, but it’s undoubtedly difficult to know what to do and how to do it when it comes to looking after yourself. Of course, you should see a doctor for professional advice, and utilise these apps to help facilitate your health and wellness journey, not dictate it! Paired with 6 small changes to improve your day and your lifestyle, these apps will help get you started.
Fitness:
Couch To 5K
A lifesaver during the COVID-19 lockdowns, Couch To 5K is a fitness app that turns you from a couch potato to a runner bean through 3 guided runs a week. The 8-week course is intended to prepare and train you into – you guessed – being able to run a 5k without hurting or straining yourself. It may be difficult in the beginning, but if you can motivate yourself to get out the door this app is a wonderful addition to your phone in the pursuit of fitness.
Nike Training Club
Curated and developed by the athleisure brand themselves, Nike Training Club is an app that contains over 200 workouts without the need for a gym (or equipment!) Choose from their wide range of activities – from strength training to yoga – and watch videos for advice and instructions. Furthermore, if you want to try your hand at becoming a professional athlete, they provide advanced workouts to push you on your fitness journey.
Nutrition:
YouAte
Women’s Health Magazine’s number one recommended nutritional app itself; YouAte is an alternative to time-consuming written food diaries. Today, visuals are the rage, and YouAte fully capitalises on this by swapping out the text logging with pictures! It really is as easy as taking a picture of your meal, and let’s face it, most of us are guilty of doing that for Insta anyway – so why not snap a pic for our health too?
Health:
Sleep Cycle
Do you know how many hours of undisturbed sleep you get? Or the quality of said sleep? As a vital human function, you should consider whether the sleep you’re getting is sufficient for your health and wellness needs. Sleep Cycle helps in that it monitors your sleep to recognise patterns, and analyses what sleep routine is optimum for you. Going a step further than most sleep companion apps, it actually will use this information to gauge the best time to wake you up to combat oversleeping, as well as under. Those extra few hours in bed may seem like a good idea, but sleeping too much can have negative health effects too.
Calm
There are a lot of apps to help with your mindfulness journey with guided meditations and exercises to help combat anxiety. Calm does all of the former, but also offers sleep stories to help you put your mind to rest (if it’s the stories you’re interested in, it’s worthwhile to look into audible too!). Pair Calm with Sleep Cycle and marvel at the change!
Apps To Boost Productivity:
Everyone wants to be productive, but it’s simply not as easy as we’d like it to be. In fact, sometimes, technology can hinder our ability to work effectively as it poses many distractions. The key? Work smarter, not harder, with these apps that will keep you focused.
Inkflow
Remember those mind-maps you used to do in school to help with brainstorming ideas? Well, Inkflow is essentially the same idea, but instead of pen and paper, all you need is your device and some imagination. A great way to quickly record some ideas on your iPhone or iPad, just make sure that you have the best word processor for mac when you go to transform those ideas into fully-fledged projects.
Forest
A favourite with students and for good reason, Forest is an app for your phone that aids in concentration. Open the app, plant a seed and watch it begin to grow and sprout, eventually growing into a tree (and growing our sense of accomplishment with it). The catch? If you use your phone or close the app, the tree dies and you have to begin again! It’s a great app to keep you from procrastinating on your phone when you have business to attend to, and we’re all guilty of getting sidetracked, so don’t feel bad about using the extra help to keep you focused on the task at hand.
Apps For Education & Creativity:
There are so many apps that can give you creative muses and stimulate your brain in ways never done before! Whether it’s to expand your knowledge pool or offer visual prompts for creativity, you can find plenty of information and inspiration conveniently contained within these popular apps.
TED Talks
It’s unlikely that you haven’t heard of the infamous TED Talks already, but if that’s the case, you should consider downloading the app right now. TED Talks are thought-provoking conferences in which participants discuss their topic of choice (usually on Technology, Entertainment or Design) and offer some incredible insight into concepts and ideas that you’ve probably never put much thought into. Whilst, yes, this app arguably falls into education, the impact that it can have on your creativity is not to be understated!
A classic for good reason, Pinterest is off-putting to many because they don’t understand the point of it, or how to use it effectively. Acting as a repository of aesthetics and ideas; you can find a tutorial for just about anything on Pinterest. From original art to carefully curated mood boards, Pinterest has something for everyone. Just type something you’re interested in into the search bar and enjoy all of the stunning visuals to help your creativity flow.
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