The 5 Best Health Apps – For Your Brain and Body
These days it is waaay to easy to give the excuse of:
“I’m just too busy to find time to meditate!”
Or look at the beautiful blue sky outside and think:
“THIS is the morning I’m going to get out and do some exercise at the park!” But then lose the motivation because you don’t have any workouts pre-planned…
Well…..what if it only took 7 minutes and all the guided exercises or meditations were at your fingertips AND you could take them anywhere? You don’t even need a gym anymore!
This is where Health Apps for your mobile phone really come in handy. We are going to show you our Top 5 favorite apps. We use these regularly, if not EVERY DAY…..
So procrastinators and you “I’m too busy” people (you know who you are), your excuses are dwindling…
What Are The Best Health Apps?
If you want to download a FREE PDF summary…CLICK HERE
The best health apps are the ones that save you time, are easy if not fun to follow, provide guided practice, motivate you and just really make your life easier and happier….
There are hundreds of health apps to choose from, so it’s up to you to decide what area of your health you want to focus on. The most useful ones for me are focused on:
- Meditation – quick guided meditations for when I am feeling stressed. Or to start or end the day in the best way possible.
- Exercise – simple guided exercises and a work out plan that I can follow from the comfort of my own home.
- Beating food cravings – ‘go to’ apps that are like a lifeline when the cravings hit.
- Improving brain function – apps that free the brain from ‘brain drain’ and strengthen cognitive function.
There are many, many apps out there. Our aim was to shortcut your searching and bring your our Favorite Five….
Our Top 5 Health Apps:
Available On: iPhone and Android
Calm is a great app if you need to chill out for a few minutes in nature, follow a guided meditation to help you ease into the day
or unwind before bed. They offer breathing exercises, unguided meditation time and 7 to 21 day programs for both beginner and advanced users.
I really love being able to jump into this app and be instantly taken away into nature. As soon as you open the app you are reminded to breathe and then you find yourself on a lake in front of mountains, with birds chirping in the background. Ahhh…..my kind of app.
You can choose between a number of scenes such as Thunderstorm, Fireplace, Celestial White Noise, Rain on Leaves, Silent Earth etc…
They have also just released “Sleep Stories: adult bedtime stories guaranteed to lull you to sleep”. I haven’t listened one of these but if you have let us know what you think in the comments below.
Available On: iPhone and Android
Now this app was voted one of the Best Apps of 2016 by Google Play and is used by over 3 million users. The 7 Minute Workout app is really great if you want to squeeze in some short but high intensity workouts.
Like the ‘Tabata‘ craze, it is based on HICT (high intensity circuit training). This is reportedly the “safest, most effective, and most efficient” way to improve your muscular and aerobic fitness and your health. Although, like most things to do with your health, that will depend on your body type.
If you want to improve your core strength, shift some stagnant energy, discover if you have some abs under there or lose some weight, this app is worth a go. It has been scientifically proven to improve cardiovascular function and assist with weight loss.
You don’t need any crazy equipment and can do it anywhere. The exercises are simple and generally last for 30 seconds with a 10 second break in between. Join the 30 day challenge and build these exercises into your daily routine!
Available On: iPhone and Android
In 2015, scientific research into cravings found that visual cognitive interference (aka. playing the legendary game from our childhood – Tetris) can be used to reduce cravings for food, caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, food and sex. We like to call this the ‘Tetris Effect’.
The whole idea is that when you feel the cravings come on, you pull out your mobile phone and start playing Tetris. What happens is that your thought patterns are interrupted. Your mind is taken away from visualizing and obsessing over whatever you were craving. Powerful!
Apparently it can also help to alleviate the symptoms of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). Other games such as Candy Crush Saga can also be used in a similar way.
Another app which can help curb the cravings, as well as tackle personal growth and other real-life challenges, is called SuperBetter. This app comes off the back of a book called Superbetter: A Revolutionary Approach to Getting Stronger, Happier, Braver and More Resilient – Powered by the Science of Games. This book was written by Jane McGonigal, a world-renowned designer of games to improve real lives & solve real problems.
It is intended to bring the same psychological strengths that you naturally display when you play games (such as optimism, creativity, courage, and determination), into your real life. Clinical studies have shown that it can be used to improve mood and decrease anxiety and suffering.
Available On: iPhone and Android
With over 85 million people worldwide, this app built by scientists and designers, has garnered some serious attention. Its purpose is to improve your cognitive abilities by training your brain in 5 specific areas:
- Memory
- Attention
- Speed
- Flexibility
- Problem Solving
It helps you to build your own personalized training program, with customized daily workouts and exercises for your goals.
It has been especially popular with those struggling with ADHD but pretty much everyone can relate to most of the areas.
Available On: iPhone and Android
Like Calm, Headspace provides you with guided meditations based upon scientifically proven techniques. It doesn’t sweep you into nature, but instead targets specific conditions that you may be struggling with like anxiety, restlessness, depression, productivity, self-esteem, patience or even acceptance.
It’s like having your own personal trainer on hand to train your mind. If you want to focus on something specific this really is the best place to start for beginners. It takes you step by step through the process. It even reminds you when it is time to meditate to keep you on track!
The graphics are sleek and the cartoon like figures in the explanatory videos are so cute they will give you ‘warm fuzzies’ and even make you chuckle at times….
So that’s it! Our Top 5 Apps to improve your body, curb those cravings, find the Zen and boost your brain power….
So Which One Are You Going To Try?
Let us know in the comments below….and try this:
1. Set those good intentions the night before (write your to do list on a piece of paper);
2. Roll out of bed and grab your phone; and then
3. Take ACTION.
You’ll be setting yourself up for an awesome day and it may even prove to be a life saver…
If you think you don’t have time to mediate or exercise, well now you DO.
Your brain and body will thank you.
This will help you to SURVIVE in a “busy” world.
Taking a health vacation is how you THRIVE….