With all this talk of resolutions and how hard it actually is to put them into practice, a range of apps are here to help.
Everyone’s been busy making resolutions, but as we know too well, they’re notorious for being broken weeks, days or even hours into the new year. This sense of failure coupled with the January blues can leave everyone feeling a little low, so what can you do to make sure you stay on track?
Well, firstly I’d recommend having a read of Lori Smith’s New Year’s Resolutions feature to make sure you’ve got the willpower to make any of them work.
Secondly, there’s luckily someone here to help. That’s right, the little person that has become such an integral part of your life, that you see more than most friends and family members, your phone could be your make or break companion when it comes to keeping you on track.
Here are some of the best apps to kick-start your new year if you’ve gone with some of the most common resolutions, losing weight, being active or sorting you life out a little more…
To lose a little weight
After over-indulging during the festive period, weight loss seems to be one of the main resolutions people decide to make, whether your goal is to drop the few pounds of turkey and Quality Streets or a few dress sizes.
Now, I’m not endorsing any of these diets. Nor am I endorsing the act of constantly inputting everything you eat into your phone. But, if diets work for you then there’s probably been an app designed to help you stick to it.
If you’re a meat-eater and want to cut down on your carb intake, there’s an easy-to-use Atkins Carb Counter that makes sure you eat the minimum amount throughout the day. For those who want a less extreme diet plan, then count your points with Weight Watchers Mobile app, which also lets you track what you’ve eaten and provides handy meal tips and hints.
Tracking your weight loss progress can often lead to even more motivation, so download an app like WeightBot or Lose It!, which will help you see what you’re doing right… or wrong.
To be more active
I’d always recommend being more active over starting an extreme crash diet, so if you’re motivated enough to get outside and run, then there are various apps available that promise to track your progress. Our editor Cate is a big fan of RunKeeper, which allows you to track the distance, time and calories you’ve managed to burn along the way. Another few favourites are Nike+ GPS as well as Interval Run, which lets you work a little variety into your running with a mixture of training programmes.
If you’re not into running but do have a bike laying around, then dig it out and start using it with the help of apps designed specially for cyclists, such as iMapMyRIDE or ISpinning.
If you can’t squeeze exercise into your day, then try and get a few more steps in instead and download StepTrakLite, which acts as a simple pedometer.
To be more organised
Even super-organised people let things go a little around Christmas, so with new schedules, new diaries and new calendars can come new apps that can organise and prioritise your life even more.
A personal favourite of mine is TeuxDeux, a simple yet beautiful app which let’s you make to-do lists each day. There are also popular services such as Evernote and AwesomeNote and all of these can also be accessed online and synced to your phone.
Or, if you’re an iPhone user and would rather stick with the simple Notes feature you already have, then use this amazing little tip from Mashable to transform your notes from the standard scrawly font into easy-to-read Helvetica.
Main image via Lululemon Athletica’s Flickr.
All other images via the iPhone app store and Weight Watchers.
Becca Caddy is a BitchBuzz Tech columnist and freelance writer for Reputation Online, New Media Age’s spin-off publication You can follow her on Twitter @beccacaddy.