SUMMER APPS MASTERPOST
Summer is awesome. It’s also a deep, deep well where you can drown in Netflix and chips, and re-emmerge in September all disappointed because you didn’t do all those wonderful things you did you would, you didn’t try or you didnt learn. Here are some apps and webpages to help you survive summer holidays.
HYDRATION
Summer is HOT. BE CAREFUL NOT TO DEHYDRATE. REALLY. The average adult is supposed to gulp down 2 liters of water a day. With this apps you can see how much you need and track how much you have already drunk.
PLANT NANNY(iOS/Android): by planting cute plants in your virtual garden and watering them with the water you drink throughout the day, you’ll stay hydrated, and it’s also kinda fun. It has different plants you unlock using the seeds the plants you have already finished watering give you. It allows you to calculate your required intake using your weight and usual physical activity, so it’s quite accurate. It also sends you reminders.
HYDRO COACH(Android): it’s the same but without the funny plant thing. It also has way better graphs.
ALSO ON THIS LINE: WHENEVER YOU ARE GOING TO BE IN THE SUN, USE SUN SCREEN!! EVEN IF ITS ONLY FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME, TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF! A SUNBURN HURTS, AND IT CAN GIVE YOU SKIN CANCER. BE CAREFUL!
SPORT
For most people, sport is more difficult to practise in summer than in winter, because you have more free time, but also tend to procrastinate more and its way too hot to go for a run. Here are the best apps to exercise in your house, without having to go to gym.
NIKE+ TRAINING CLUB (iOS/Android): my personal favourite, it creates programs that adapt to your age, physical shape, time you want to spend exercising, everything. It’s totally free and has a lot of great features. Besides, it’s Nike, a good sports brand, so it does seem trustworthy, unlike many other exercising apps you can find.
FREELETICS BODY WEIGHT (iOS/android): it’s also pretty good, it adds a points system to a more or less personal trainings, but it’s not as customizable as the Nike one. If you want the totally customizable version, you’ll have to go pro.
30 DAY FIT CHALLENGE (iOS/android): This one is the good version of most fitness apps around the web that promise thigh gaps and ab cracks and stupid fashion trends that tend to be unhealthy. To say the least. No, really, don’t believe those things. You have to be healthy, NOT THIN. This app is good for that: it proposes a 30 day exercise plan, not very customisable, but it does have levels and you can choose which body part you want to focus on. While the other two previous apps are more long-term, this one is more like…yeah, a challenge, just like its name says. Its so good you’ll probably do one 30 day after another, and the trainings are short, so its great for summer.
SWORKIT (iOS/Android): It’s pretty good too, but, as in freeletics body weight, you have to go pro to get the really good version of the app. It has a great yoga/pilates/stretching section though, and it tells you the exact number of kcals you burnt.
LANGUAGES
Most people decide on taking languages up while summer vacation, because it’s easier than giving yourself math classes. The best thing you ca do to learn a language is use it, so WATCH AS MANY SERIES/MOVIES/READ AS MANY BOOKS AS YOU CAN IN YOUR LANGUAGE OF CHOICE. USE SUBTITLES IF NEEDED, BUT REALLY, IT’S THE BEST WAY TO DO THIS.
DUOLINGO (iOS/Android): The most known language app: it allows you to learn basically every language, in small sections everyday. You can choose how much time you want to practise, and join clubs and chat groups with people who are your same level.
MEMRISE (iOS/Android): Its slightly better than duolingo in the learning department, but it doesn’t have as many interpersonal options, and it only is available for Spanish, French, English, Korean, Japanese, Portuguese and French.
OTHER STUDYING APPS/PLATFORMS
EdX: it has some AWESOME courses. Really, i did one on cell programming taoght my MIT teachers FOR FREE. They also give you diplommas for your courses, although you have to pay for those, as well as for some courses. Most of them are free, and there are great unis there!!
Khan Academy: Of course. You all know this one already :)
Code.org: To learn some coding basics. It’s not very wide but the courses are quite good.
NUTRITION
For those of you trying to mantain healthy habits:
LIFESUM (iOS/Android): one of my favourites, it allows you to choose wether you want to lose weight, gain muscle, stay healthy, and has many diet choices (only available for pro, though). It is very pretty, and it tracks your water, your vegetables, your fruit, your meat, etc. This way it not only counts your calories but it also allows you to make healthy decisions on what to eat.
MYPLATE (Android/iOS): Very similar to lifesum, it doesn’t have the different types of food tracker, but it has different topic forums.
MY FITNESS PAL(Android/iOS): It’s uglier than both lifesum and MyPlate, but it’s the one that gives you the best insight into your nutrition, because it doesn’t only track the amount of water, carbs, proteins and fats you eat, but also fiber, sugars, sodium, etc.
All of these apps are trustworthy. No crazy diets, all of them are run by nutrition experts and are flexible enough. Please, if you want to start a diet, ask your parents if you are under 18. Also, beauty is not about being skinny: it’s about being strong and healthy. Please don’t kill me for posting these apps here: I personally find them very useful to see how I eat, and I’m a health junkie.
YOGA
Probably what everyone says at least once in their lives that they are going to try and never do. Taking up yoga is also a great idea before the next school/uni year comes, so you can move it into your all-year routine, which is difficult to change once it has begun. Here are some great apps for beginners, so you can actually try it this summer.
DO YOU YOGA (Android/iOS): Awesome app (check their webpage too), with different types of yoga, different programs, etc. They are very well explained in videos, and you can pretty much choose between an infinite amount of programmes. Some of them are premium features, though, and it can be a little bit too big for a total beginner, because who knows which of the millions kinds of yoga styles is theirs?
DOWN DOG(Android/ iOS): This app is simply amazing. It creates different programs according to your level, and you can totally go without the premium features.It teaches vinyasa, one of the most popular yoga styles, the flow, with continuos movements, very well guided.
DAILY YOGA(Android/iOS): the programs are very customizable, but for a total beginner its a little chaotic, because all guided programmes adapted to them are only available for pro users.
Now, that’s a lot of habits. So here are some apps to track them all!
HABIT TRACKING
ONCEADAY(Android): Its really pretty, but its functions are very limited. It only works for habits that you have to do every day, and there are no stats/notes whatsoever.
HABITICA(Android/iOS): It literally urns your life into a game, where you can set goals, habits, to-dos, etc, and get rewards not only for your avatar onscreen, but also for your real life you. Its a great app, I always reccommend it. It has no stats at all though!
REMENTE (Android/iOS): just kill me if this is not the best tracking app EVER. You can set several goals/projects, add tasks to them (very specific tasks, programmed tasks, repeated X days or to-dos… the possibilities are infinite!), track your feelings, give a mark to different parts of your life… Really, try this one out.
So that was it. Please feel free to add your own apps and stuff to survive summer. I made this list according to my personal interests, and I hope you find it useful!!
