Question: How Are You, Really? Take The 10-Minute NHS Test Now

“I didn’t expect that a government initiative would have me talking about how I need to keep myself going to be there for the people I love, let alone that a rapid-pace multiple-choice test would elicit these responses and give personalized replies in turn, but here we are”

How Are You, Really? The Free NHS Health Test

We took this surprisingly incisive 10-minute test from the UK’s famous National Health Service—the test is part of the “Better Health” programme, aimed at keeping people healthy enough to have less need of medical attention.

It goes beyond covering the usual bases, in that it also looks at what’s most important to you, and why, and what might keep you from doing the things you want/need to do for your health, AND how those obstacles can be overcome.

Pretty impressive for a 10-minute test!

Is Your Health Above Average Already? Take the Free 10-minute NHS test now!

Habit-Building Apps: How They Measure Up (And What You Can Do Without Them)

Some say it takes 21 days to build a habit; some say it takes 60. Most people’s New Year Resolutions are toast by the end of the first week of January. But why does that happen?

While we may blame it on forgetfulness or being too busy, the fact is that we can often end up self-sabotaging and seeking the refuge of our old, well-worn, comfortable ways. How can we break out of that?

• Rule one: no matter your long-term goals, make your first goal minimum effort! So not “I’ll go to the gym every morning” when you haven’t darkened their doorway in years, but “I’ll do a minute of squats each morning”, and stick to that for a month.

• Rule two: one new habit at a time. That’s it; that’s the tip. One new habit at a time. Don’t take on a new habit until the first one has been well-engrained for at least a month.

• Rule three: what gets measured, gets done, so: record things. It can be a stealthy tally mark on the wall calendar, it doesn’t have to be ostentations, but it needs to be measured.

Want an extra tool to supercharge your habit-building streak? Help is at hand:

Fabulous Daily Routine Planner

Fabulous is the personal coach you always wanted, here to tell you, step by step, how to get your things in order and live a better life. It’s probably the most popular habit-forming app on the market, and its main selling point is that it provides a very immersive experience, as though engaging on a spiritual journey, and provides extensive encouragement along the way.

Pros: Takes you by the hand and guides you through sustainable incremental challenges

Cons: Very little flexibility, most features paywalled and/or need unlocking by completing challenges

View Fabulous in the Google Play (Android) Store / View Fabulous in the Apple (iOS) Store

Daylio Journal Mood Tracker

Daylio markets itself as a journaling app, but it’s actually a lot more: it not only allows you to record your mood (and a journal entry if you wish, with photos if you wish), but also lets you do “bullet-journalling”, just tapping icons to record what things you did that day. Then it maps your moods against your activities, so you can see what affects what, and keep track of how often you do things.

Pros: Very easy to use, very flexible, most features free and immediately accessible

Cons: Adding your own “custom” activities to track is a premium feature

View Daylio in the Google Play (Android) Store / View Daylio in the Apple (iOS) Store

HabitNow Daily Routine Planner / Habit Tracker

HabitNow, or Habit Tracker as it is called on iOS, is a combination personal assistant and habit tracker, since it allows you to schedule your day, set goals, and of course, track everything and see all your stats at a glance. Often when we fail to build habits, it’s because in the initial days we kept forgetting or procrastinating—HabitNow takes extra care to keep you on track.

Pros: Powerful app with many features and a lot of flexibility, most features free

Cons: Potentially longer initial set-up process, if using all features

View HabitNow in the Google Play (Android) Store / View Habit Tracker in the Apple (iOS) Store

One-Minute Book Review

Aimed at people who, for whatever reason, want to either quit drinking or at least drink less, Millie Gooch brings insights, encouragement, and a non-judgemental down-to-earth approach to staying sober.

As you might have noticed, the book has a whimsical presentation and is aimed mostly at women in around her own (Millennial) age-group. But the information and advices are applicable to all, especially her overall plan of “how to prepare to do the thing, how to do the thing, how to sustain the thing” that goes quite a bit beyond the usual scope of such books, and will help to avoid many common pitfalls.

If you’d like the feeling of a support group without actually, you know, attending a support group and interacting with people about it, this book could be for you.

Check out today’s book on Amazon!

Do you have a habit app that you love? Let us know!

The 10almonds team

DISCLAIMER: None of this is medical advice. This newsletter is strictly educational and is not medical advice or a solicitation to buy any supplements or medications, or to make any medical decisions. Always be careful. Always consult a professional. Additionally, we may earn a commission on some products/services that we link to; but they’re all items that we believe in :)