Upgrade your lifestyle with these New Year's Resolutions
Sponsored by Capital One, but all opinions are my own.
If it wasn’t for tech, my New Year’s resolutions may already be toast. According to U.S. News & World Report, nearly 80 percent of resolutions are usually broken by mid-February. But as my Google calendar turns in that direction, I’m still going strong, and I credit apps and gadgets for making the whole “new year new you” thing easier than ever.
Whether you’re resolute to be more financially fit, more physically fit or to help make this world a better place, I’ve partnered with Capital One to share some tech tips to help keep you on task:
Shape up your finances with Capital One for Alexa. Ask and you shall receive—literally. With Capital One Skill for Amazon Alexa, customers can pay their credit card bills, check their balance and manage their accounts – just by using your voice. In addition to letting customers access their Capital One credit cards, bank accounts, home and auto loans, you can now track your account spending history by time period or for 2,000+ popular merchants. Now there is no excuse to lose track of spending or miss a payment for any of your Capital One accounts!
Keep up your credit score with CreditWise. Did you resolve to improve your credit score in 2017? What you don’t know can hurt you. Check your score for free with CreditWise® from Capital One ® -- plus, it’s available for everyone whether they have a Capital One product or not. The credit monitoring tool shares tips on how to improve your credit score, alerts you when your credit score changes and shows the key factors that go into your score, which could help you figure out what might be bringing your score down, and how you can improve it.
Step up your fitness with Apple Watch. Whether you’re setting a daily step goal or training for your next marathon, Apple Watch® can help. This is my go-to device for my own fitness, and I love spreading the love: to date I have gifted five Apple Watches to my close friends and family to encourage them to work towards their own fitness goals. It’s especially great for people with a competitive streak, because you can share your results. Get after it!
Save big with Ebates. You shop online. I shop online. We all shop online. And with Ebates®, we can save and even earn money from nearly 2,000 stores as we shop online. Just download the app, start shopping and saving. Refer friends and you’ll get even more cash back. I have to say, I’ve become kind of obsessed with digital couponing and Ebates. Check it out and you’ll see why.
Save money—and the planet—with KOR Nava®. I loathe plastic bottles. As a diver and global traveler who grew up on a lake, I’ve seen the destruction these “convenient” bottles cause. This year, I’ve committed to reducing my use of plastic water bottles (and plastic bags, for that matter). My KOR Nava filter water bottles are a step in the right direction.
Sleep better with Sleep Shepherd. Better sleep leads to better health, and better health will help us all accomplish our goals! Sleep Shepherd® is a soft band you wear around your head as you sleep. The advanced tech within the band actually monitors your brain activity and guides you to slow it down so that you can sleep, which it then tracks. I also love its smart alarm, which awakens you gradually, so you feel refreshed.
Do more good deeds with AmazonSmile. You can help your favorite non-profit every time you shop on Amazon®, thanks to AmazonSmile. Just choose an organization you love and AmazonSmile Foundation donates a portion (0.5 percent) of qualified purchases to that enterprise. I love knowing that part of my Amazon purchases go to Batcole®, a non-profit that raises funds for research to develop new therapies for neuroblastoma and other pediatric cancers. I’m on the board of the organization, which was founded in memory of my friend, Cole Winnefeld.
Learn new skills with Lynda.com. Have you always wanted to learn to code or be a better photographer? The time is now! Sign up for one of 5,000+ online courses led by industry experts on Lynda.com from LinkedIn®, in areas such as business, photography, web development, software development and design. A subscription, which starts at just $19.99 a month, gives you access to thousands of classes.
Get the idea out of your head with Upwork. If you’ve got a million-dollar idea but no time to pursue it, you’re not alone. Thankfully, it’s easy to find skilled freelancers through sites like Upwork®. I’ve connected with super talented independent contractors here, and they’ve helped in areas such as creating 3D prototypes, graphic design and audio for my podcast. You can read reviews from past projects and find someone who can help you move that dream project forward!