Five Apps to Help You Meet Personal Wellness Goals

Have you made a resolution to get healthy in 2017? You’re not alone. According to Nielsen, 36 percent of people resolved to stay fit and healthy in 2016, making it the most popular New Year’s resolution. Another 32 percent of people resolved to lose weight, the second most popular resolution. These survey results were nearly identical in 2015, when 37 percent of people resolved to stay fit and healthy, and 32 percent resolved to lose weight. When survey results for 2017 roll in, there’s a good chance they’ll be similar.

Unfortunately, and despite the best of intentions, most people break their resolutions. In fact, according to U.S. News, 80 percent of resolutions fail. Diet and fitness plans not associated with the changing of calendars also tend to have bleak ends. It’s widely accepted that most diets—perhaps as many as 95 percent of them—fail over the long term, and Statistic Brain reports that 67 percent of people with gym memberships never use them.

To keep your wellness goals on track, you need a little help. Luckily, this doesn’t require an expensive personal trainer because there’s an app for that!

Here are some of the best wellness apps available.

• Fitbit—If you don’t have a Fitbit activity tracker yet, the New Year is a great time to get one. The Fitbit app will track your daily goals, calories burned, distances walked, workouts completed and more. You can also compete with friends or take part in challenges.
• MyFitnessPal Calorie Counter—This free app includes a database with more than 6,000,000 food items, a barcode scanner and a recipe importer to help you track your calories. It also creates personalized diet and exercise plans.
• 7 Minute Workout—This free app guides you through short, high intensity circuit training workouts. You don’t need special equipment to complete the exercises, just a chair and a wall.
• Down Dog: Great Yoga Anywhere—This free app lets you select your level of yoga expertise, from beginner to expert. It includes images and narration to help you achieve the correct poses.
• Calm—If you suffer from too much stress and not enough sleep, this free app might help. It includes guided meditation sessions of various lengths to help with anxiety, concentration, self-esteem and more. It also features sleep stories and nature sounds to help you fall asleep.

Have questions about how to promote wellness habits to your employees? Talk to the business risk management professionals at Heffernan today.