In today’s modern society, we are practically glued to our phones 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We use them for everything – from keeping in communication with friends, families and co-workers, to playing games and keeping tabs on our schedules with various apps. But how about those wellness apps?
If you are like most of us, you have tried a few wellness apps here and there, but always seem to delete them or just forget they even exist until you accidentally stumble upon them. We always download them with the best intentions, whether inspired by a New Year’s resolution, or a friend or family member that started eating healthier, focusing on spiritual health or getting in shape – but, they just cannot keep us focused enough to follow through.
The following top wellness apps will help you change that.
What could get you up and running for your life better than being chased by zombies during a zombie epidemic? Nothing! That is what makes this app so addictive – it is like playing a game that helps get your heart rate going and gets you in shape. And you actually do collect items and achieve goals in the game as you go.
The app works by playing music through your phone or headphones, and when you hear the zombies you are expected to speed up your pace to escape. Successful running sessions through the game’s story missions help you gather much needed supplies for your base and rescues others so you can survive. If you are just easing into working out, the game offers slower speed levels to help you reach your fitness goals as well. Track and sync your runs to see your progress and keep running from zombies on your way to a healthy, fit body.
Yoga has taken the world by storm for all of the health benefits it can provide the body, mind and soul. It helps to keep you in alignment with yourself, and reach a higher, more calm and serene mental state. It has been proven to reduce stress levels and helps with many disease and disorders. However, first starting yoga can be daunting if you do not have proper guidance, and finding the time to practice the art can be difficult for a lot of us with busier schedules.
Yoga Wake Up addresses all of these concerns in one. In quick, 10-minute instructional videos that can be done in the morning as you are waking up, practicing yoga just got a whole lot easier. You schedule your wake-up time, and the app will deliver a 10-minute sequence that will focus on meditation, poses or setting intentions. Each sequence is different, so you will constantly being doing something new and different as you go through your practice. Namaste!
Unfortunately, we live in a society that is full of processed foods with ingredients most of us cannot even pronounce, let alone determine what they actually are. This can make starting a new diet and exercise program infinitely more difficult as you try to navigate through what foods are actually good for you, and which ones only seem like a nice idea. That is where Fooducate comes in – this app makes grocery shopping not only easier, but more enjoyable, too.
As you shop, use the app to scan product barcodes and quickly get a read on how healthy that item is before you put it in the cart. It goes a step beyond by also helping you monitor your sleep, mood and hunger levels. The app regularly updates and analyzes your information to provide information and feedback to help you reach your health and fitness goals. It is like having a nutritionist on-call, but conveniently located in one must-have app.
There is a lot more to wellness than just physical health. We also need to focus on our mental and emotional state. Happify is an app that uses scientific research to provide daily activities such as games, mindful meditations and assessments to help you meet your needs – whatever those may be. You let the app know what your wellness goals are, and it will provide you tracks to help you find the “me” time you know you have been lacking, or get better at handling any sources of stress in your life.
The app is a little like having a pocket therapist, as each track it provides you is actually designed by experts. So, as you work on strengthening your mental and emotional states, you can enjoy knowing that what you are doing has been proven to work. The diversity of the tracks and reliability of its effectiveness make it a great app to download, and one you will not easily give up.
One of the top excuses for quitting a diet or exercise program is feeling too tired. By downloading Sleep Cycle, you can eliminate that problem – and need to find a new excuse! The app works by measuring your sleep cycle so it can wake you sometime during a 30-minute window before your alarm. This aims to wake you up during the lightest sleep cycle, even if it may be before your alarm actually goes off.
By following this routine, you should notice that you wake up feeling less groggy in the morning, and have more energy throughout the day as a result. After trying the app for a few nights, you will be keeping this one. Adequate sleep will help you feel more mentally alert, emotionally stable and physically prepared to handle the workout plan you have been delaying – you will have energy to spare, after all.