A few of my favorite things...

Today's post prompt "Write about your favorite things that is not health-related but likely improves your life" got me really thinking.

So much of my life centers around health and fitness now I really struggled to think of things in my life that aren't health related.  I'm such a connoisseur of health and fitness right now, that this was really difficult.  Here's what I came up with.

My iPad -  I named her Gizmo.  She goes everywhere with me.  She does help out with my health and fitness goals but she also does the following.

1. Functions as my collection point for all my calendars and schedules.  I am super forgetful and over commit myself and the awesome calendar app I found has helped me out significantly by giving me a graphic vision of my day at work and at home.
2. Keeps all of my financial data in one location and it's not as easy to fat finger numbers on the iPad as it is on the iPhone.  I use two different applications Mint.com and HomeBudget.  Mint.com is new to my phone but I like some of the financial advice and information it provides.  HomeBudget is on both my iPhone and iPad and it's so much easier than keeping a physical checkbook, I lose those!!
3.  Podcasts - I wouldn't get through my crazy workdays without the amusement of podcasts and videos on my iPad.  Sometimes I work best with music and other times I need mindless chatter going on in my ears to keep me on track.  I am in love with the How Stuff Works family of podcasts.  They're amazingly informative and often hilarious!
4. The Kindle app.  I admit it, my Kindle is collecting dust.  Since I got my iPad, the Kindle hasn't come out but it's because the screen on the iPad is so much bigger.  It's easier on my eyes and I've been reading a ton more lately because it's there.  I get bored, open the app and keep reading.
5. Update my blog on the go.  I COULD do it from my phone but it's such a tiny screen!!
6.  Keep important files at my fingertips with DropBox.  Life is so much easier with that one tiny cloud storage app!

So yeah, as lame as it is, my iPad is pretty much my favorite thing right now.  Apart from all of the above I also use it to:

1. Log my food into the My Fitness Pal and Weight Watchers apps.
2.  Keep up with my Gorilla Workouts.
3. Use the WW Kitchen App to find new stuff to cook.
4.  Read other blogs.
5. Keep my Zumba music and playlists for class handy.

Basically, Gizmo is my personal assistant. Health, fitness, finances, entertainment, education, it keeps everything at my fingertips.

I'm such a consumer but... whatever.  I love my iPad!