New Year’s resolutions have been different for everyone this year: it is a time when we don’t know when we will be able to leave our houses to see our friends, nevermind goal-setting for future careers, plans and our adult lives. The future of being free has never felt so far away, and finding a reason to get out of bed has been difficult for everyone in lockdown.
We have all this free time but no freedom, so how can we find motivation throughout these tricky times? Technology is faster, more accessible and more prominent than ever before, so people like myself have turned to fitness and mindfulness apps to structure the day. Doing something other than scrolling through a never-ending feed of people who seem more productive than you can be beneficial to your mental health. It’s vital that we take advantage of all the gadgets on offer and try something new. I have found the following apps beneficial during these trying times.
30DAYWORKOUT encourages personal fitness with attainable workout goals.
We all know how exercise releases endorphins to boost mood and get blood pumping around the body. It’s so tempting to pick up the TV remote and binge Netflix for hours on end when there is nothing else to do, but for just half an hour every day, this app gives you a different workout to tick off before you venture to the couch. After inputting your fitness level and what your goals are, the app creates personalised workouts to cater to your needs. I found that the best part was the calendar, which tracks your progress through the program. It creates a reason to jump out of bed, get up and get moving. The feeling of completion is so satisfying, and it only takes 30 minutes a day.
Headspace is an app for daily meditation.
I’m sure many people will read that and roll their eyes, and maybe even move to the next paragraph because how boring, right? Wrong. The app has free basic features which allow you to access a ten-day meditation course for four minutes a day. Although it isn’t for everyone, I truly believe that you need to complete a short program and at least try it before deciding. After two sessions of listening to a droll voice tell me to control my breathing, I was tempted to give it up too; however, learning to control my breath has helped me in daily life. Headspace teaches you to think before you act and demonstrates how important it is to have a few minutes without worrying about what’s for tea tomorrow or whatever else may be on your mind. Those four minutes of shutting out the world completely can have an indisputable effect on your mood. Try it.
Strava is an app which allows you to track your daily exercise on either your smartwatch or your phone.
Strava is great for showing you how far, how long and how often you’re walking or running each day. For those who might be interested in venturing into new areas of their town, the app features an ‘Explore’ section. This section can be activated on your walk and it guides you around new trails you might not otherwise have known about. Strava also can be used by cyclists for an insight on the route they’ve chosen to take. It’s another great app for accountability, as your exercise is logged in a Facebook-style news feed so you can go back and see how you’ve been spending your everyday excursions.