Where did January go? It went by so fast!

January always seems to be a time for reflection and a time to recharge. We recover from the hustle and bustle of the holidays and play with all of the cool new stuff we may have received. We think about our goals for the year. We promise to get back to being active and going to the gym. We outline how this new year is going to go.

Since January is about Fitness and Productivity, and in hopes to keep it going, here are my top 5 app picks for fitness and productivity.

Day One:

So this app falls into the reflection side of the new year. It’s a great app for journaling daily. It’s super easy to use from your phone, and you can also get the version for your computer and sync the two together. For me, I know that I often forget what I did within a few days (yeah, it’s terrible), and I’ve been using this app so far just to jot down what I did, especially if it was something extra important.

It also has really great design and it’s simple and easy to use. I hope to use it throughout 2015 to remember what happens this year.

Fitbit:

I received a Fitbit Flex for Christmas. Actually, I received two, but returned one and got the scale that goes with it. The Fitbit Flex tracks all of your activity, particularly your steps and sleep. You can add your water consumption and log your other workouts as well.

I really like seeing all the data collected (nerd alert!) and I think that makes me use it consistently. It’s also really interesting to see how my sleep goes, as it tracks when you’re awake and restless. And if you get the Fitbit Aria scale, that’ll sync up to the app as well.

You can also challenge your friends and family to a step challenge. It’s a fun way to get more steps in.

MyFitnessPal:

I discovered MyFitnessPal a few years ago and it’s one of the best food tracking apps out there. The database for food is super extensive and I can usually find any meal that I’ve made or eaten in there. The other cool thing is that you can connect it to your Fitbit, as well as other activity trackers, and the two apps work together.

I used to use the app on and off, with periods of totally forgetting. Now that I have a Fitbit and the two are connected, I find myself using MyFitnessPal a whole lot more.

Sunrise:

Sunrise is a great calendar app. I like it more than the Calendar app that comes on the iPhone. I’m not really sure why, but I like the interface and you can even see the weather forecast for the day. Of course you can also sync Sunrise with your Calendar app as well. I also sync Sunrise to my Google Calendar so that all appointments and sessions appear across all my calendars. You can also get the desktop version of Sunrise, too.

Rise:

As a photographer who shoots in natural light, I need to know when the sun rises and the sun sets. I’ve tried several other apps before, but Rise is one of the best I’ve found. It has a super simple interface and is very straightforward. Swipe up and down for sunrise/sunset and swipe left to check on a future date. You set your city and voila, easy-peasy.

Since I schedule my senior portrait sessions to start two hours before sunset and every appointment includes hair and makeup, I have my clients typically start about three and a half hours before sunset. In the winter, that usually means that hair and makeup will start around 2:30pm or 3pm, with the session starting around 4pm and sunset occurring about 6pm. This app is great for determining those times!

These are just a few of my favorite apps lately. What apps are your daily go-to’s?