Smart Spending

Help for Keeping Your New Year’s Resolutions Alive

Has it really come to this?  Have we become so dependent on our mobile devices that we cannot keep our New Year’s Resolutions without help from our trusty companions? Considering that most New Year’s resolutions go by the wayside this time each year, I say, if it helps, what is the harm?  Keeping a diary or a list has been part of many weight losses/quit smoking programs for years so tracking your achievements by mobile device is not much of a stretch.  Besides, who knows, making yourself accountable with an app may just be the extra push needed for success this year.

Does your resolution involve losing weight, quitting smoking, getting fit, achieving a healthier lifestyle or saving money?  There is an iPhone/iPad/Android/Blackberry app for that:

Resolved: Lose Weight

My Fitness Pal

MFP allows you to count calories, research properties of food in a database of 1.1 million foods, enter your exercise and join a community of like-minded dieters. Some of the most successful weight loss programs use positive reinforcement from peers to achieve weight loss and this program puts that practice to good use.  This free app is available for iPhone, iPad Touch and iPad, as well as Android, Blackberry and Windows.

Resolved: Quit Smoking

Quit Now

Quit Now features the help of a Quit Coach, a widget for sharing progress and tracks the number of cigarettes not smoked, the money and time saved as well as the number of days without smoking. The free app also provides tips for quitting, facts about snuff and a list of nine health aspects that will show improvement from quitting smoking. Quit Now is available on Android and on Windows.

Resolved: Get Fit

Fitocracy

Fitocracy uses gaming incentives to make getting fit fun. The free app features rewards for different activities—walking, running and other activities while offering suggestions for improvement along the way.  The biggest difference in this and other apps is the competitive element of the community, which includes quests, challenges and bragging rights. This app is available for iPhone and Androids.

Resolved: Healthier Lifestyle

Morsel

Morsel lets you achieve a healthier lifestyle one “morsel” at a time. With simple achievable tasks, Morsel helps you take small steps toward a healthier lifestyle every day. The free app keeps track of how many of the suggested tasks such as “eat a potassium rich banana” you have achieved tracking your healthy achievements. Morsel is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and Android.

Resolved: Saving Money

Mint

One of the more popular financial apps, Mint.com allows you to organize all of your financial accounts—banks, credit, mortgage— into one app on your mobile device where you can set budgets and achieve your savings goals. This free app is also all about finding ways to save money and spending less. It is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices.

So have apps taken over our lives? Can we no longer function without an app to help us get through the day? I think the answer is we could, but just like going without the internet for a couple of days, we would certainly miss it. Rather than worrying about such matters, I say take advantage of all digital advancements you can! We can all use all the help we can get.

Has it really come to this?  Have we become so dependent on our mobile devices that we cannot keep our New Year’s Resolutions without help from our trusty companions? Considering that most New Year’s resolutions go by the wayside this time each year, I say, if it helps, what is the harm?  Keeping a diary or a list has been part of many weight losses/quit smoking programs for years so tracking your achievements by mobile device is not much of a stretch.  Besides, who knows, making yourself accountable with an app may just be the extra push needed for success this year.

Does your resolution involve losing weight, quitting smoking, getting fit, achieving a healthier lifestyle or saving money?  There is an iPhone/iPad/Android/Blackberry app for that:

Resolved: Lose Weight

My Fitness Pal

MFP allows you to count calories, research properties of food in a database of 1.1 million foods, enter your exercise and join a community of like-minded dieters. Some of the most successful weight loss programs use positive reinforcement from peers to achieve weight loss and this program puts that practice to good use.  This free app is available for iPhone, iPad Touch and iPad, as well as Android, Blackberry and Windows.

Resolved: Quit Smoking

Quit Now

Quit Now features the help of a Quit Coach, a widget for sharing progress and tracks the number of cigarettes not smoked, the money and time saved as well as the number of days without smoking. The free app also provides tips for quitting, facts about snuff and a list of nine health aspects that will show improvement from quitting smoking. Quit Now is available on Android and on Windows.

Resolved: Get Fit

Fitocracy

Fitocracy uses gaming incentives to make getting fit fun. The free app features rewards for different activities—walking, running and other activities while offering suggestions for improvement along the way.  The biggest difference in this and other apps is the competitive element of the community, which includes quests, challenges and bragging rights. This app is available for iPhone and Androids.

Resolved: Healthier Lifestyle

Morsel

Morsel lets you achieve a healthier lifestyle one “morsel” at a time. With simple achievable tasks, Morsel helps you take small steps toward a healthier lifestyle every day. The free app keeps track of how many of the suggested tasks such as “eat a potassium rich banana” you have achieved tracking your healthy achievements. Morsel is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, Blackberry and Android.

Resolved: Saving Money

Mint

One of the more popular financial apps, Mint.com allows you to organize all of your financial accounts—banks, credit, mortgage— into one app on your mobile device where you can set budgets and achieve your savings goals. This free app is also all about finding ways to save money and spending less. It is available for iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad and Android devices.

So have apps taken over our lives? Can we no longer function without an app to help us get through the day? I think the answer is we could, but just like going without the internet for a couple of days, we would certainly miss it. Rather than worrying about such matters, I say take advantage of all digital advancements you can! We can all use all the help we can get.