So here’s something interesting…
I loathe my iPhone. I really do. I feel that mobile devices have done more to distract and disengage us then they have to add more value to our lives.
You might disagree and that’s ok.
I guess it’s ironic then that I’m about to share my top 5 health apps for living a great life.
Now before we get to those I want to tell you what I’ve done with my iPhone to turn into what it is – a phone – and less of a distraction.
First, I’ve deactivated all my email accounts so that I don’t continuously check my email. Behavorial economist and one of my favorite authors – Dan Ariely – says that email and social media are so addictive because of the “intermittent reinforcement” that they provide us with.
Basically, we are more tempted to check our email in a continuous, irrational fashion because of the possibility that an exciting or beneficial email will have come through. Most of the time though, it’s nothing more than garbage or one more thing to respond to.
And that drains the life out of us. At least it does me.
Second, for the same reason I just mentioned, I removed Facebook and Twitter apps from iPhone. However, I recently added Instagram which I actually enjoy and don’t find as compulsively tempting as the other two.
Now, that I’ve shared some of my sanity-saving iPhone strategies, let’s get into the top 5 health apps that I’ll think you might enjoy as well.
DISCLAIMER: The apps I’m about to share with you have little to do with health, nutrition, or fitness themselves. However, the benefit they provide to me allow me to do the things that actually improve my health.
Health App #1 – Songza
I love music and I love to dance.
As far as I’m concerned, anything that gets me dancing to some good tunes or puts me in a good mood is good for my health. I like to think of Songza as playlists for your life as it allows you to pick and choose songs and playlists to reflect a particular mood or time of day.
For instance, most Saturday mornings I’ll throw on the Afro-Cuban channel (in the “Drinking Gourmet Coffee” playlist). It instantly makes me feel like I’m having breakfast by the beach in the caribbean. It’s darn cool.
Songza is free or a whopping $3.99 if you don’t want ads. Either one is really a steal.
If you enjoy music and want a continual stream of new and cool music that you may never hear otherwise, it’s a must.
>> Learn more about Songza here
Health App #2 – Win Streak (by Strategic Coach)
Strategic Coach is one of the coaching programs that I’m a part of. It’s one of the best investments I’ve ever made in my life as it helps entrepreneurs spend more of their time doing what they’re great at and building amazing teams around them to create exponential results in the world.
Since they focus a little on the importance of celebrating your wins, they recently came out with an app called Win Streak. I love it’s simplicity. Basically, you jot down as many successes/wins you can think of from your day.
Doing so, builds momentum and shifts your focus to gratitude as opposed to anxiety and disappointment. Since gratitude is one of the strongest indicators and predictors of happiness, I’m sure you can see why I include this as a health app.
After all, you can’t really be healthy if you’re miserable all the time, can you?
It’s a free app and I’d strongly recommend using it. I think you’ll enjoy it too.
>> Learn more about Win Streak here
Health App #3 – 5-Minute Journal
My good friends and UJ Ramdas and Alex Ikonn have taken the world by storm with their 5-Minute Journal book. I’ve been using it for over a year and love it. And this past week, they released the mobile app version. It’s just as awesome.
It’s similar to Win Streak but structured a little differently.
And as the name implies, it literally only takes 5 minutes (actually much less) to record your gratitude, affirmations, and upcoming goals. It’s a lot of fun and beautifully put together.
It sells for $1.99 and I know that’s a lot of money (not) but it’s well worth it.
>> Learn more about the 5-Minute Journal here
Health App #4 – Deep Sleep (by Andrew Johnson)
Sleep is massively important to good health. Since the birth of our 3rd son – Arlo – just 2 weeks ago, I haven’t been sleeping that well due to the crying, etc…
As a partial remedy to that I’ve occasionally used a soothing sleepy time app from Andrew Johnson. I think what I enjoy most about this guided deep sleep meditation is Andrew’s Scottish accent. It’s great.
It sells for about $3 and he’s got a number of other audio meditations for a number of desires such as: confidence, attracting love, and being happy.
If this can help you sleep a little better, then I’m sure you can appreciate that your health will benefit too.
>> Learn more about Deep Sleep here
Health App #5 – Buycott
Have you ever wondered whether the money you spend ends up funding causes you oppose? Well, now you can.
I haven’t used this app in several months but I think’s it awesome.
When you use Buycott to scan a product, it will look up the product, determine what brand it belongs to, and figure out what company owns that brand (and who owns that company, ad infinitum). It will then cross-check the product owners against the companies and brands included in the campaigns you’ve joined, in order to tell you if the scanned product conflicts with one of your campaign commitments.
It brings total transparency to your food purchases. If you’re interested in knowing where your food comes from and who the interested parties are, then you’ll a lot of fun with this app.
>> Learn more about Buycott here
