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The tech you need to accomplish your New Year’s resolutions

By | Alex Sheehan | www.allconnect.com

The New Year inspires us all to set goals and make changes to improve ourselves and our lives. We’re collectively striving to be better…and that’s amazing!

But keeping New Year’s resolutions is hard. Most of us drop off before January is even over. But here’s an idea on how to keep a New Year’s resolution: employ tech to hold yourself accountable, keep you motivated and make it easier to stick to your goals.

Let’s take a look at some of the most popular resolutions and recommend top tech for each goal.

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1. Diet or eat healthier (71%)

Nearly three-quarters of people want to eat better in 2020. This could be motivated by trends to move towards organic and other natural food products.

The hardware:

  • HydraCoach – Part of a healthy diet includes plenty of water, and this smart water bottle will make sure you drink enough each day.
  • Garmin vivosmart 4 – This wearable health tracker monitors more than just activity. It also checks health factors like heart rate and blood oxygen. Ideally, your healthy diet will contribute to these health factors.

The app:

  • MyFitnessPal – Though MyFitnessPal is also an activity tracker, it has a robust set of diet-tracking features too.

2. Exercise more (65%)

The second-most popular resolution is closely tied to No. 1 (and No. 3). People want to work out more.

The hardware:

  • Fitbit – Among tech gadgets, this is probably the most well-known answer to how to keep a New Year’s resolution. It has a range of fitness trackers to monitor your physical activity, sleep and more – plus a companion mobile app to create health plans, set goals and see progress.
  • JAXJOX KettlebellConnect – A single kettlebell with different settings, this device is like six kettlebells in one. Track your activity, use routines from the app and add users to do it as a family.

The app:

  • MapMyFitness – If you run, walk, bike, ski or basically do anything that involves movement, MapMyFitness’s suite of mobile apps will track your activity, calories burned and distance traveled. You can also log time spent doing more stationary activities like yoga or kickboxing. Create group challenges for added motivation and accountability.

3. Lose weight (54%)

Still on the health kick, the goal to shed pounds rounds out the top three New Year’s resolutions.

The hardware:

  • Smart scale – Measure and track more than just weight — look at body mass index (BMI), fat mass, body muscle composition and more.
  • Skulpt Scanner – Skulpt Scanner gives you the big picture of your weight: It scans your body for weight and body fat percentage, and then delivers a weight loss plan tailored to your body.

The app:

  • Lose It! – Track calories and weight, record a food diary and join a community of other users on a weight loss journey of their own.

4. Save more and spend less (32%)

Here, resolutions get financially-focused. People want to keep more of their money and buy less stuff. It’s one of the main reasons we’re drawn to online shopping.

The hardware:

  • Smart lights – Though they require an upfront investment, smart light bulbs can help you reduce energy costs. Pro tip: Look for LED bulbs.
  • Smart thermostat – Similarly, smart thermostats require an investment but can reduce heating and cooling costs over time.

The app:

  • Mint – A budget-planning app, Mint also tracks spending and helps you see your progress towards your savings goals.

5. Learn a new skill or hobby (26%)

On the path of self-improvement, many say they want to learn new things. Here’s how to keep a New Year’s resolution regarding picking up new tricks.

The hardware:

  • Google Chromecast or Amazon Fire Stick – Turn your living room and smart TV into a classroom: stream YouTube videos and other educational content to your big screen and have fun while learning.
  • Smart Piano – You don’t need to hire a teacher to learn how to play music. There are smart pianos, keyboards and other tech to help you master the tunes.

The app:

  • Duolingo – Learn nearly two dozen languages — for free.

6. Quit smoking (21%) and drink less alcohol (15%)

We’d all like to cut back on our vices — Quit smoking came in at No. 6, and drink less alcohol at No. 9.

The hardware:

  • Slighter – This smart lighter helps smokers gradually kick the habit with customized plans based on your smoking behavior.

The app:

  • The Mindfulness App – Learn how to meditate with guided sessions for all types of users. This might help control cravings.
  • Healthline has also put together lists of apps to help you quit smoking and drinking.

7. Read more (17%)

While more and more media is made available to us every day through our technology, we seem to find less time for the written word. Nearly one in five of us looks to change that.

The hardware:

  • Amazon Kindle – You don’t need to lug around heavy books anymore. With a Kindle, you can download the book and read it on a tablet.
  • Noise-canceling headphones – You don’t have to physically read to get the benefits of devouring a new bestseller. Thanks to audiobooks, you can download them and listen to them from your device on your morning commute.

The app:

  • Goodreads – Set a yearly goal for how many books you want to read and track your progress. Rate books, get personalized recommendations and connect with friends.

8. Find another job (16%)

Time for a career change? Upgrade your tech for an advance in your vocation.

The hardware:

  • Webcam – Many job interviews are conducted over video chat. In addition to a strong internet connection to prevent lag, it’s a good idea to get a high-quality webcam.

The app:

  • LinkedIn – The B2B social media site has tons of job listings, HR professionals and networking opportunities to get your name and resume out there.

9. Spend more time with family and friends (13%)

It can be tough to carve out quality time with loved ones. And though adding tech to the mix might seem counterintuitive, there are ways it can bring people together.

The hardware:

  • Roomba – Vacuuming as a time-consuming chore? It’s a distant memory with this intelligent vacuum. Spend less time cleaning and more time enjoying your clean space.
  • Terra Robot Mower – If mowing the lawn is on your list of prolonged chores, you can outsource this to a robot too.

The app:

Start 2020 with a new you

Kick the New Year off on a positive, goal-driven note. We’ve shown you how to keep a New Year’s resolution with technology, now pursue more info by bookmarking our Resource Center for the latest tips, tricks and news.


Republished with kind permission and originally published at https://www.allconnect.com/

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