By: Jenna Wigman
We’ve all fallen victim to the New Year resolution trap: one minute we’re vowing to never touch a carb again and run our first marathon, and the next we’re binge-watching the latest season of House of Cards with a pint of Ben & Jerry’s. But enlisting some of today’s hottest tech products and services to make little changes to improve your health, finances and happiness can leave you feeling far more satisfied:
Source: Fitbit.com
Although not the newest line on the market, the latest iteration of the wildly popular wearable fitness tracker brand is affordable (currently around $130) and perfect for those of us who want to amp up our daily activity, but not master a new sport in a month. The minimalist design is great to wear from gym to office and its features include health and fitness tracking, heart-rate tracking, GPS, OLED touchscreen, guided breathing exercises and smartphone notifications. A newly-released update also adds a workout pause function, guided breathing vibration cues, a Do Not Disturb option, improved heart-rate zone display, on-device battery display and a new clock face.
Source: Headspace.com
While using an app to help improve your meditation skills may seem counter-intuitive, in today’s media-infused world it can be just the digital boost you need to find your zen. The app touts itself as a “gym membership for your mind” and guides you through daily 10 minute meditation and mindfulness sessions for free. If you are looking to become a mindfulness expert, you can choose to subscribe for more session options, which range from $7.99/month for a year commitment to $419.95 for a lifetime subscription.
Source: mint.com
Have you ever entered a new year with the personal promise to finally save more and track your expenses, only to scrap it all for an alluring after-Christmas sale? Mint, an app created by Intuit, makes it easy to sync all of your bank accounts and credit cards, providing a streamlined snapshot of where and how much you spend, broken into categories including food, entertainment, bills and more. The app will allow you to create a budget per category and will alert you when you have gone over budget. You can also check your credit score inside the app for free.
Source: stridesapp.com
Interested in even making the smallest of changes but only able to do it with the aide of constant nagging from a spouse or friend? The Strides app allows you to remain accountable without testing the limits of the most vital relationships in your life. It allows you to set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and timely goals that are customizable, ranging from losing weight to drinking more water every day. The free app lets you decide what key milestones look like, setting you up for success to make improvements vs. overhauls that often don’t foster long-term results.
Source: goldstar.com
Want to give painting a try in 2017? Do you find yourself constantly drooling over Instagram photos of friends at local foodie events you didn’t even know about? The GoldStar events app (and website) allows you to search, discover and purchase discounted local events. You can buy tickets for theater, music, sports, dance, comedy and beyond. You also have the option to sign up for daily emails that alert you about newly-available local discounted events in your area. Not only does GoldStar save you money on the experiences you already know and love, but it gives you the opportunity to find and explore new hobbies and adventures in your own backyard.
Whether you’ll finally master that 5k this New Year’s is up to you, but tackling smaller goals should prove no problem with the latest advancements in helper-tech.