New Year’s resolutions

Read Cult of Mac’s latest posts on New Year's resolutions:

3 apps to help you with your New Year’s resolutions [Awesome Apps]

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Finish Your Goals This Year
You can actually get it done — with this apps.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac
Awesome Apps

It’s already January 6th, but if you haven’t given up on your New Year’s resolution already, I have three apps that’ll help you through it. (I won’t hold you to it if you’ve slipped up in the first week.)

Whether you’re trying to exercise more, work more efficiently or change your daily habits, these three apps will help you make a better 2024.

How to make your New Year’s resolution stick with Apple Fitness+

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Make 2022 the year you achieve your fitness goals
Make 2022 the year you achieve your fitness goals.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If your New Year’s resolution is to get in shape in 2022, Apple Fitness+ provides the perfect solution. Tightly integrated with Apple Watch, it offers hundreds of excellent video workouts you can do at home right now. But the question is, will you?

As the old saying goes, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. Subscribing to Fitness+ is all very well, but it’ll be a waste of money if you lose interest after a week.

Unfortunately, sticking to a New Year’s resolution isn’t easy. That’s probably why almost 50% of them fail in the first year.

If you want to smash your fitness goals in 2022, you need to start by getting your head in the right place. And that’s where well-formed outcomes can help. They are goals that meet certain essential criteria identified by psychologists in the 1980s using a technique called neuro-linguistic programming, or NLP.

Well-formed outcomes provide a framework that can massively increase your chances of achieving your goal. And all you need to do to turn your resolution into a well-formed outcome is ask yourself these six questions.

Learn guitar, piano or music production with one of these discounted bundles

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These music courses are the perfect way to kick off your new year productively
These music courses are the perfect way to kick off your new year productively.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Do you remember when you decided you would use your extra time during quarantine to pick up a hobby or learn something new? Well, 10 months have passed, and we’re rolling into a new year with continuing restrictions due to COVID-19.

But don’t let that discourage you. One fun and productive hobby you can pick up is playing music. And we have some great musical training bundles that’ll help you start 2021 off right.

How to make your New Year’s resolutions stick with Apple Fitness+

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Time’s up for excuses - get in shape in 2021
Time’s up for excuses - get in shape in 2021
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

Apple Fitness+ makes it easier than ever to get in shape. So you should have no problem smashing your New Year’s resolution. Right?

Wrong. The sad fact is, despite the best of intentions, most New Year’s resolutions fail. But it doesn’t have to be that way. I know from personal experience as someone who went from a middle-aged slob to the proud owner of six-pack abs for the first time in my life. Now I’m a qualified personal trainer and I write about fitness for Cult of Mac.

So what’s the secret? Why do some resolutions succeed where others fail? Here are my top five tips for how you can use Apple Fitness+ to get in shape in 2021 and stay that way.

Nail your New Year’s fitness resolutions with Apple Watch

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Cult of Mac magazine cover, issue 330
Your Apple Watch can help you nail your New Year's fitness resolutions.
Photo: Graham Bower / Cult of Mac

New year, new you! With the Twenty-twenties just getting started, it’s time to get rolling on your New Year’s resolutions.

If you want to make amends for pigging out and get in shape for the new decade, we have an essential guide to nailing your New Year’s resolutions with Apple Watch.

Plus we have a guide to getting started with HomeKit automation, some juicy new iPhone 12 rumors, and advice on how to control a remote Mac using iMessage screen sharing. It’s all in this week’s free Cult of Mac Magazine.

How to nail your fitness New Year’s resolution with Apple Watch

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Ring in the new year with Apple Watch
Ring in the new year with Apple Watch
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

With the holidays behind us and a new decade just getting started, New Year’s resolution season is officially here.

If you want to make amends for your seasonal overindulgence and get in shape for the Twenties, here’s our essential guide to nailing your New Year’s resolutions with Apple Watch.

Get fit with Apple Watch and nail your New Year’s resolution

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How to get in shape with Apple Watch in 2019
How to get in shape with Apple Watch in 2019
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If your New Year’s resolution is to get fit with Apple Watch in 2019, maybe I can help. I know from personal experience that it’s never too late to get in shape.

I’m a middle-aged guy, and up until a few years ago, I lived a very unhealthy lifestyle. I never exercised, I only ate junk food, and I was seriously overweight. Today, I have a six-pack, I run seven miles a day, and I even write about fitness for Cult of Mac.

The secret to my transformation is something I call “The Ratchet.” It’s a way of running that makes it so easy to get started that pretty much anyone who can walk can do it. All you need is your Apple Watch and a pair of running shoes.

So if you’re thinking about New Year’s resolutions for 2019, why not give The Ratchet a try? Here’s how.

Best apps to tackle your New Year’s resolutions

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Best New Year’s Resolution Apps
Unless your resolution is to give up your iPhone, these apps are perfect for starting the new year right!
Photo: Tru Katsadne. Graphic: Ian Fuchs/Cult of Mac

Every year, people make a pledge to themselves to improve in some way. New Year’s resolutions typically come in the form of personal wellness and fitness, productivity or kicking a bad habit. Sometimes they can be more general.

Whatever your goal is for the new year, there’s probably an app to help. These are some of the best apps to help you on your journey to a better you in 2019.

Forget the gym, meet your 2019 fitness goals at home [Deals]

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Staying healthy can be tough, so Fitterclub makes customized nutrition plans and workout routines that are accessible anywhere you go.
Staying healthy can be tough, so Fitterclub makes customized nutrition plans and workout routines that are accessible anywhere you go.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s easy to say you’re going to spend the new year getting into better shape. But once January 1st rolls around, you’ll actually have to get off the couch and step out the door. We all want to meet our resolutions, so why not skip the part about stepping out the door?

Name your price for a social marketing master class [Deals]

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Learn the fundamentals of social media marketing, for whatever you want to pay.
Learn the fundamentals of social media marketing, for whatever you want to pay.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Today, digital marketing is one of the largest and most lucrative industries. In 2018, platforms like Google and Facebook have become fundamental to marketing. So if you’re going to be successful at marketing, you’ve got to understand how to master social media.

Learn how to get in on the freelancing game [Deals]

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Being your own boss is great, but it takes a plan and the right skills. Get both with this bundle of courses.
Being your own boss is great, but it takes a plan and the right skills. Get both with this bundle of courses.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

The job market is changing fast. So while all sorts of gigs are changing or vanishing, freelancing has become a more and more practical way to get work. But when charting your own career course, it can be hard to know where to start.

The Side Hustle Bundle teaches how to make money online [Deals]

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We could all use a little more scratch. This bundle of courses will teach you how to earn extra money with an online side hustle.
We could all use a little more scratch. This bundle of courses will teach you how to earn extra money with an online side hustle.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s 2018, the era of the side hustle. Because these days, everybody could use a little extra cash. And like everything else, you can find it online. That is, if you know what you’re doing.

Name your price for a complete coding education [Deals]

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This is a great opportunity to add the super marketable skill of coding to your resume.
This is a great opportunity to add the super marketable skill of coding to your resume.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

It’s as true in 2018 as it was in 2017: coding is one of the most marketable skills you can learn. Learning any new skill can feel intimidating, but with the right instruction it’s possible for anyone to add coding to their resume. And with the right deal, it can be affordable to almost anybody too.

Finally learn and master the advanced concepts of Excel this year [Deals]

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The Ultimate Excel Bootcamp Bundle
Get a head start this year with improving your Excel skills for the office.
Photo: Cult of Mac Deals

Everyone can brush up on their Excel skills for the workplace. This new year being more productive and efficient are probably on the top of most people’s list when it comes to career-focused resolutions. Learning to master Excel does not have to be overwhelming or daunting.

Cult of Mac Magazine: Apple’s best and worst of 2015, must-have apps, and more

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Happy New Year everyone!
Happy New Year everyone!
Cover Design: Stephen Smith

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times. We take a look at them all from 2015 in this end-of-year issue of the delightful and informative Cult of Mac Magazine. We’ve got Apple’s best and worst wins and fails of the year, the must-have apps on Apple TV, Mac, iOS, and Apple Watch, how to keep your toughest New Year’s resolutions with your iPhone, a quick trick on adding emojis just about anywhere, and our thoughts on why 2015 was actually Apple’s most important year since 2007.

Dive in with your own copy of Cult of Mac Magazine. Below is the rundown for this week.

Happy New Year from all of us here at Cult of Mac.

Why most New Year’s resolutions fail (and how iPhone can help you succeed)

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The secret to losing weight and getting fit with iPhone in 2016
An expert reveals the secret to losing weight and getting fit with iPhone.
Photo: Graham Bower/Cult of Mac

If you’re feeling guilty about your festive overindulgence, you may be planning to lose some weight and get fit in the new year. Well, sorry to be a Grinch, but research suggests that only 8 percent of New Year’s resolutions are successful.

The good news is that there is a better way. One that involves steadily building healthy habits over time. There are some handy iPhone apps that can help with this, but you won’t find them in the Health & Fitness section of the App Store.

Limit The Time You Can Use Your Mac With Parental Controls [OS X Tips]

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Parental Controls OS X

Parental Controls are built right in to OS X, and they’re a great way for parents to set time limits for their children. My daughter is quickly becoming a teenager, what with her wanting to be online playing games or emailing friends and such at all hours of the day and night. The answer for us was to set her older Macbook up with time limits, using Parental Controls to only allow her Mac to be used with her account during waking hours.

It’s not only for kids, though, as you can set up time limits on your own Mac to help you practice a little self control, or to help you get away from work or online games (looking at YOU, Guild Wars 2!) and spend more time with family. Here’s how to make that happen.