I realized that I have been blogging for 6 weeks and I have not yet mentioned my beloved iPhone. I love him. (her?) Regardless, I was a doubter, but “it” changed my life for the better.
That said, I found 2 cool posts of awesome free or cheap apps to check out this week.
1. Daily Candy has “21 Apps to Keep You in Sync”:
A few of my favorites:
Tiny Review – Tiny Review – Snap a photo, caption it with three lines of text, and share. Available at itunes.com, free.
Food52 Hotline – When there aren’t enough cooks in the kitchen and no one to ask, hit up the Food52 Hotline. Ask questions, get answers. Available at itunes.com, free. (They have an awesome blog too, here.)
Instacast – An on-the-go solution for podcasts that lets you manage subscriptions, wirelessly download content, and post comments on Twitter. Available at itunes.com, $1.
InBloom – When you’re going green, let InBloom help you find the way to nearby good-for-you and good-for-the-planet restaurants, markets, and other businesses in select cities. Available at itunes.com, free.
What are your favorites? Cat Effects?
2. The Greatist is at it again with “The 63 Best Fitness Apps”. A lot of the usual suspects here like Nike Training Club, Lose It, My Fitness Pal, MapMyRun. That said check out some new ones:
GymBuddy – Everybody needs a gym buddy. Log workouts and track progress toward fitness goals by recording exercise schedules, workout results, body weight, and BMI. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad.
HealthTap Express – Need to know whether that skin rash is poison ivy? Enter the question on HealthTap Express and a doctor will respond ASAP. The service is available 24/7. Available for free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android. (Note – I tried this one as it is founded by someone from a company I used to work with. It works and I got a lot of responses quickly!)
Fooducate – Chosen as a 2011 best iPhone Health & Fitness app, Fooducate turns smartphones into scanners. Pick a food product and scan the bar code to get all the details on the nutrients inside. Users can compare different items to find the healthiest, tastiest, most affordable choice. Available free on the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and Android.
Zombies, Run! – This app turns running into an action-packed adventure. Users put on their headphones and hear zombies chasing after them, along with instructions on how to avoid them. (Hint: RUN!) There are more than 30 different missions and stories, so users can scare themselves a different way every time they work out. Available on the iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad. (Note – Hey why not? If it gets you running….)
Which fitness and health apps do you use or want to try? I have a bunch already!
In Other News….
3. Need to find a good cause to donate to? (This is a rhetorical question). I like to support organizations where I know how the donations will be used. My friend, George Gallego, started an organization called Wheels of Progress. Wheels of Progress is a 501C3 nonprofit organization with the immediate goal to free people living with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities from nursing homes and reunite them with the community by providing them with accessible and affordable apartments along with community based support services. George is a paralympic triathlete (and a great one at that!) and his wife, Julia, is doing the NYC triathlon for Wheels of Progress. The money she raises will go directly to helping one person with a spinal cord injury to get housing and services needed to live a normal life. You can support Julia and this great cause here
4. Like organic food? Check out Food Revolution Day events around the country on May 19th.
And what Friday would be complete without a few deals?
5. Hey Chicago fitness folks, check out the deal on Gilt City for Self Workout In the Park on June 2nd. For $20, you get: a ticket to SELF magazine’s “Workout In The Park” on Saturday, June 2, 2012 from 11 AM – 3 PM at Grant Park’s Butler Field (rain or shine), a Dolvett Quince “Me and My Chair” workout DVD, a Crunch sweat band, a SELF magazine tote, a Bar Method Class at any Chicagoland studio (Loop, Wicker Park or Lakeview) and a One-year subscription to SELF magazine. A pretty good deal, no? (I just saw the tickets are $20 so you get the DVD, subscription and bar method class as a freebie — more than double the cost plus the event.)
6. Warning: this is a bit sexist… I found lots of flowers and jewelry for mom’s day. Travelzoo is offering $49 “Father’s Day deal” for 26 steaks from Omaha Steaks. That seems like a great deal for a dad (or any carnivore) who likes grilling. The offer is good through June 30th! Click here for more info.
7. I was going to add the $10 Daily Candy Deal for the “Skinny Bitch Vegan Swaps” book but that is a bit too diametrically opposed to the last one… soooo…. how about something to inspire your travels? Daily Candy has $6 for a one year subscription to National Geographic Traveler. That’s 85% off the cover price. I got this deal last year and LOVE it! Check it out here
8. There are tons of great travel offers right now– hotels.com is offering a discount and cash back for “special deals” and I have been spotting great deals for friends on quikbook.com, jetsetter, vacationist and snique away. If you have to go to Vegas, check out this awesome deal on Bloomspot for the MGM Signature. I stayed there a few years ago. It has awesome huge rooms and no casino (but great gym and pool) to get away from the madness for a moment! Less that $100 per night!
I think that’s it for now. Happy Friday, all!