New Year, New You

…OK, so that’s a little hokey. I’m of the belief that a few resolutions are a good thing, but that they shouldn’t be so grand that they’re wildly out-of-reach. For me, details always help, but the more detailed they are, the fewer I should commit to. Example: I will make the time to hike Camel’s Hump this year. It’s not too realistic with my schedule to also plan to do Mt. Mansfield, Mt. Abe, and Mt. Elmore since there are only about 12 days of summer in Vermont anyway, am I right?

Anyway, I also believe that technology can aid in one’s resolve to be better in the new year. (Case in point: I was surprised to find out that my mom had a FitBit Wristband; she still uses a flip phone that’s about 10 years old and has no desire to upgrade. However, when the time comes, I think she’d love the integration with the app…just sayin’.) I’ve compiled a list of five apps that just might help you get things started right in 2014.

LiveStrong MyQuit Coach – Dare to Quit Smoking – Free ($.99 ad-free)
If you’re still a smoker, this should be goal #1. I can’t say I’ve tried this myself, but it gets high ratings from users, and I’ve polled some ex-smokers about the interface and what their biggest obstacles were to quitting. MyQuit Coach is physician approved, and it helps you set attainable goals to finally quit the habit.

Smoke Free – Free (It’s worth including a second one since it’s such a good resolution!)
Smoke Free’s interface is also very clean, and its approach includes a monetary angle — it’s pretty sobering to see how much you’ve been spending on cigarettes, and gives you “total $ saved” data along with positive statistics to help you stay on track.

Lose It! – Free ($39.99/yr for premium features)
There are a lot of calorie counting and weight-loss apps out there, and I’m partial to Lose It. I’ve always liked the interface, and I find it easy to navigate and add custom foods and meals. It’s a great way to really see just how good/dysfunctional your daily habits might be when it comes to food and exercise. I’ve had this app for several years, and I’m planning to accelerate my goals in 2014 to get back to a pre-baby, pre-mid-thirties weight.

Simply Being – $.99
Maybe it’s the Vermont getting to me, but I’ve found that it’s nice to slow down a bit to keep relaxed and centered. The biggest challenge for me is to turn my brain off, and get away from distraction, including feeling tethered to my phone. Ironically, I’m turning to Simply Being to do that. You can choose from four meditation times, and has the option to listen to guided meditation with or without music or nature sounds. Bonus: It’s been recommended by The New York Times, Huffington Post, Yoga Journal and others. Mmmmm…I’m relaxed already.

iHome+Sleep – Free
Keeping with the relaxation theme, iHome+Sleep is a great app to track your sleep habits and ultimately, reap the health benefits of a good night’s sleep. It’s a fully-featured alarm with multiple settings and options. I’m not a morning person…at all…and I’m a firm believer that waking gently keeps you better prepared for the day. iHome+Sleep also allows you to log your sleep times, giving you a better sense of how much time you actually spend in quality slumber.

Try ‘em out. You can’t lose (except maybe a few pounds).

Similar Posts

  • Diagnosing & Treating Bash "Shellshock"

    OS X is a descendant of a long lineage of UNIX operating systems, from which it inherits its incredible stability and enhanced security….

  • A Candle-Powered iPhone?

    If you’ve been reading Kibbles and Bytes over the past few months, you might have noticed I’ve written more than once about power…

  • Zoom and Voiceover in iOS

    Working at the Service Check-in Counter, I often have customers asking me how to get out of Zoom and/or Voiceover on their iOS devices. While most people have Zoom and Voiceover disabled, it still shows up now and again.

    If you have used Zoom, the image to the right may seem familiar. If this happens, you can try to enter your passcode and navigate to Settings to turn off Zoom but this can be difficult. An easier way out is a simple 3 finger tap twice which will Zoom you back out.

    If you have seen the image above, then you also must have experienced Voiceover. Instead of using your finger to select individual apps, the screen is sectioned into rectangles, and you select that shape as whole. It is very hard to navigate, and the whole time a voice is instructing your movement. Voiceover is helpful for the visually impaired, but can be a hinderance if turned on. You must navigate back to Settings > Accessibility and turn Voiceover off if you do not wish to use it. If you have the shortcut enabled, you can try triple clicking the home button. This will turn off Voiceover. I would recommend turning off both Zoom and Voiceover, unless of course you need them and are familiar with their commands.

  • Use Old iOS Devices as Security Cameras!

    Are you one of those people who have old iOS devices laying around your house just waiting to be brought to the recyclers or given to a friend in need? I have always kept my old devices as a backup in case I ever need to send my new one out for repair.

    For those of you planning on upgrading your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch soon, you might rethink selling or recycling it, and instead, turn it into a home security system. Huh? Yes, you heard me.

    With a new app by “*People Power*”:https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/presence-by-people-power/id618598211?mt=8 you can easily make an old iOS device your new home security system. The system supports the iPad 2 and newer, iPod touch (5th gen.) and newer and iPhone 3GS and newer.

    The app is called “*Presence*;”:http://peoplepowerco.com/products/ it’s free and it has some seriously great reviews. All you need to do is download the app on at least two devices, connect over Wi-Fi and set up your device in the desired spot you wish to watch. You can then set up specific alerts for when motion has been detected.

    The alerts might be for when your kids get home from school, if someone breaks into your apartment, or maybe you have elderly parents who you’d like to make sure are up and moving that day. Throw a waterproof case on the phone and you can set it up outside and get video clips to see what kind of animal is eating your freshly sprouted blueberries.

    People Power will soon have a subscription, allowing you to upgrade to Presence Pro for more storage and added features. Even if you don’t feel the need to monitor any activity going on, it might be fun just to play around with the app since it is free, and who knows, you may just find a cool use for it!

  • My Thoughts on the AppleTV

    When Steve Jobs announced the new AppleTV on September 1st, 2010 I looked at my wife and said “My first free $100 is…