I know I am not alone when I admit I’d be totally lost without my phone. I use it for just about everything and there is rarely a time when it’s not within my reach. If I had a plate on one hand and my phone on the other hand and both happened to fall at the same time, I am sure you don’t need a wild guess to know which one I would rush to pick first. Sad to say really, especially when increased screen exposure can lead to eye defects, distractions and breaches in communication.

However, while increased smartphone use definitely has its downsides, there are ways it can be used to improve our health and happiness.

You have likely heard the phrase, “There’s an app for that.” And it really is true. Phone apps allows us to do everything from getting a ride to the airport to playing racing games (I’m such a huge fan!). While I have a plethora of apps on my phone, the ones I use most frequently are those I feel have the greatest influence on improving my overall health and quality of life. You can:

• Use it to help you exercise.

No gym? Not to worry. There are numerous workout apps that allow you to work out at any time from the comfort of your own home. I use the Female Fitness – Women Workout app on my phone to keep track of my daily exercises, as well as my weight and body mass index (BMI). It works pretty well for me just as if I’m in the gym! And it also helps me stay consistent in keeping a fit lifestyle. There are also apps that let you track the length and quality of sleep to ensure maximum rest, especially if you undergo a very stressful lifestyle and experience lack of sleep.

• Use it to keep track of your food intake.

If you are having a hard time reaching a fitness goal, it is more likely to do with your nutrition than your exercise. Spending some time monitoring and logging your food intake can be really eye-opening. It also helps to see your micronutrient breakdown so you can know if you are covering your food bases. There are countless nutrition tracking apps and tools on the market now that help with weight loss and overall health goals. My Fitness Pal is a good app option for tracking your food intake. Other popular ones are Cronometer and LoseIt to name a few.

• Use it to keep a gratitude journal.

Gratitude is a game changer for reducing anxiety and increasing happiness. There are now apps that allow you to keep an ongoing gratitude journal. I like to write down a few things I am grateful for before going to bed. Although, I do this preferably on a bedside notepad, I might not have those notes with me during the day so I just key it into my phone. That way, I don’t forget to note things down.

• Use it to track your food and personal care products.

There are apps that allows you to look up the toxicity levels of your favorite personal care, food and household cleaning products by entering the product’s name or scan the barcode before you buy. This helps to make you more informed about the products and assure you of its quality.

What other ways do you use your smartphones for a better health and happiness? Do you know any of these apps mentioned? Which ones are your favorites? Inform us and let’s share more about this in the comments section below.

Enjoy!