Illustration: Clayton Junior
8 of 9
Consider these apps your 24-hour support system.
Join the Anti-Gym
There's no time to exercise. The gym's too far. Workout
classes are too expensive. Push pause on those excuses and download
Nike+ Training
Club, a free app that offers 15-, 30-, and 45-minute full-
body workouts—with instructional videos for every
move—that you can do in your living room (some require
dumbbells). And their four-week exercise programs offer an experience
closer to personal training. Choose the month-long plan that most
matches your fitness level and goals.
Get Centered
Meditation is powerful stuff—it may help quell stress, lower
blood pressure and reduce insomnia—but trying to quiet your
mind during a harried day can be a tall order.
Headspace, an
app co-created and narrated by an ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk,
will help get you started with ten free easy-to-follow tutorials that
require only ten minutes of your time. At the end of the trial, you
can sign up for a monthly ($13) or yearlong ($96) subscription to
more sessions.
Butt Out
If a stick of nicotine gum isn't quite enough for you, find
support on
MyQuit Coach,
a free app developed by
LiveStrong.com that has been
reviewed by medical professionals, including smoking cessation and
tobacco addiction specialists. The program allows you to connect with
other smokers trying to stop, track cravings and devise a quitting
plan with short- and long-term goals.
Count Calories
Research shows that many people underestimate how much they eat (one
report found that adults lowball what they've consumed at fast
food restaurants by roughly 175 calories). And while it's easy to
get stats from a nutrition label, can you accurately gauge the
calories in a bowl of chips or a square of lasagna? Leave the number
crunching to
Countertop, a free app that pairs with a food
scale ($150) to calculate the calories on your plate.
— Sarah Meyer
