Who knew that keeping close tabs on your body’s health was within the reach of a button? Here, our favourite apps for anything health-related.
1. SLEEP CYCLE
Waking up in the morning is difficult – we can all attest to that. But did you know that a matter of 15 minutes could make it just a little easier? Sleep Cycle is an app that tracks your slumber pattern through movement and breathing to wake you up at the moment when you are at your lightest sleep. Just set an interval of 15 minutes or so, and you will be awoken at the right time for your body with one of the many calming alarm sounds the app offers. The app also records data so you can see charts and statistics about your sleeping patterns so you can track the quality and quantity of sleep you get each night.
If you’re an iPhone user, the native Bedtime feature is also a winner – you set your ideal time to go to bed and wake up, and it gently reminds you when it’s time to hit the sack to help enforce a healthy sleep hygiene routine. We also recommend making the most of their Screen Time tool, to reduce disruptive blue light exposure before bed – you can programme it to encourage you to put down your phone at a certain time in the evening to help optimise your sleep quality.
2. SMILING MIND
Feel as though you never have time to breathe within your busy schedule? Smiling Mind is an app dedicated to simple meditation exercises to help you take a moment and reflect on your thoughts and emotions during the week. To start a program, you just answer questions about the way you are feeling at that particular moment and the app will create a custom exercise to help calm you and whatever you might be feeling that day.
3. MY FITNESS PAL
Of all the calorie tracking apps, My Fitness Pal is a clear front-runner. The app has thousands of users, meaning that the food library is stocked high so you can find the nutrition facts of practically any food you want, and it even allows you to scan barcodes of packaged foods, which will keep you aware of what you are putting into your body. The app can also connect to a variety of external step-counters so you can integrate your fitness and diet into one app, allowing you to track your goals and share your accomplishments with others to keep you accountable.
