Apps I'm Loving Right Now

Okay, so we are all striving to be better people in every way possible. You can't deny it, because you know it's true. We are trying to lose weight, get healthy, learn new skills, or even improve our personalities and we could all use a little help.

(if you don't want to look at all the apps, scroll down. I saved the best for last)

Current Health Apps I'm Using Now.

Stop, Breathe, & Think

Guided meditations lead you, through soothing instruction often accompanied by soft music, through the mental exercise of purposeful relaxation. They are often surprisingly fulfilling and very personal. I used to love guided meditation cool offs after a group exercise class, but I hadn't found any good quality guided meditations anywhere online (youtube, private websites, you name it) & I did not want to shell out for a mp3 or dvd. Then I stumbled upon the mobile app Stop, Breathe, & Think & loved it. The best part is that it is free!

This app asks you "How Are You?" mentally, physically, and emotionally to pick which of their meditations is best for you. I use it occasionally to unwind. Have you ever had trouble going to sleep because your mind was too full of nagging thoughts? I find that meditation before bed has been one of the best ways that I release mental tension. I bet it could help you too.

To Bed

So, do you remember back when your mother, father, guardian used to wake you up in the morning or remind you how late it was and to got to bed? Well as 'adults' we have to perform this task for ourselves and let's face it we don't always put our best interest first when it comes to curfews. Personally I never had a bedtime, but I'm loving this little app for telling me to hit the sack. I think a little reminder every once and awhile of when you should really go to bed is healthy. We are at our best when we are fully rested and fresh.

If you didn't want to download this free app or you don't have it available on your phone, then do yourself a favor and program alarm reminders for your sleep schedule! It's simple, easy, and it's good for you!

Yoga Studio

Okay, this is the one app for which I broke down and actually spent some money, $2.99 to be exact (I know it didn't break the bank, but I like to be as frugal as possible). I had been using a free yoga app for a while and I finally admitted to myself that there was a reason why it was free, it kind of sucked. So I set out to find the best and most affordable yoga app. I stumbled upon Yoga Studio and it has been a dream. I can honestly say I love it!

The app is straight forward and once you have paid that $2.99 they don't try to weasel any money from you. You have access to full classes from beginner to advanced. Having gone to yoga classes before I find that this app does a great job of bringing the instructor and the studio to you. Each pose is video blocked so that you can see exacly how to do it and the vocal instruction is soothing and helpful. I love that they also let you create your own classes so that you can pick and choose the poses that you want to do. Using this app I have been doing yoga at least once a day and I can tell that my body and mind thank me.

Last but certainly not least:

Plant Nanny

It's not what it looks like! You are not simply growing a virtual pet plant. You are hydrating! The premise of this app is that whenever you drink some water, your plant can drink some water. If you don't stay hydrated your cute little virtual plant will wilt and die.

Alright, at this point some of you may be wondering what the point of being a plant nanny is. Well have you ever decided to stay hydrated, I mean really stay hydrated? Drink that 64 or more ounces of water a day? It's hard! did you go to the bathroom every 10 minutes when you first started your healthy water movement? (yeah me too) Then, somewhere down the line you just stopped drinking as much water. Perhaps you were going on a road trip and didn't want to hit every truck stop or you just convinced yourself that there was no conceivable way to keep up with all that water glugging. It's important to stay hydrated. We all know it, and we have all tried at some point or another to make a hydrating commitment to ourselves.

It's strange but somehow it often easier to take care of others than ourselves. We can encourage others to have good habits, but improving our own takes real effort. Plant Nanny makes it not about hydrating yourself, but about not killing your little green buddy. And with little growth checkpoints along the way, where you get to watch your plant grow, its more fulfilling and fun to stay hydrated. The creators are using our naturally nurturing instincts against us or for us, however you want to look at it :) . That is my little Dandelion in the picture that I named Sweet. I managed to drink enough water to make it grow all the way up. With cute little sound effects and images there's really nothing to lose, especially when you consider how perky and hydrated you will be! Oh, did I mention free?

So go out there and lend yourself a helpful hand! Apps are everywhere and for everything. Who knows there could be one just for you.

- - - I'd like to note that I have an iphone so unfortunately some of these apps are not available on other phone platforms. Sorry! Also, I am not affiliated with any of these apps or their creators. The images are from itunes.