Lockdown days are long. Lockdown weeks drag. Lockdown months… we’ve stopped counting. But it doesn’t need to be all about the lockdown languish. We’ve got a few handy apps we’ve been using to see us through.
Barre Body Online
If you’ve ever been to Barre Body’s Sydney CDB studio, you’ll (if you’re like us) have fallen in love with the high ceilings, pale green trim and gorgeous arched windows. Barre Body Online was a fast pivot, or should we say pirouette (sorry, couldn’t help ourselves!) during lockdown last year, when the studio started recording their sessions in the studio sans participants. The venue is just as beautiful, and the workouts still have that gorgeous combo of burn and confidence boost, so log on and pretend you’re not inside your own four walls for half an hour. A year-long membership gives you access to the app and more than 300 different workouts, recording mainly in Sydney but also at the sister Sydney, Bende Byron. There are 40 different instructors, with live and pre-recorded sessions in everything from Dance Cardio, Barre HIIT, and Barre so Hard to Feel Good Flow, pre and postnatal, and Pilates. Want to give it a go? Newcomers can do a 14 day free trial. https://online.barrebody.com.au/
iHeart Wine
We’re all about supporting local, and that means we’ve got a duty to support our Aussie wineries! Enter iHeartWine, a new app that gets you connected straight to winemakers across the country – we’re talking Margaret River, Barossa Valley, Mudgee, the Hunter Valley, Tasmania, and the Yarra Valley to name a few. The app is the brainchild of Marc Malouf, a muso and wine writer who knows his drops. Once you’re in the app, you can explore the ‘Market’, where along with basics like red and white, there’s handy browse collections like ‘$25 or less’ and ‘Top 20’. Discovery Packs are a fun space to play in, with ‘packs’ of 3, 5, or 6 bottles of wine from different wineries giving you a chance to try something new. We dipped our toes into the drops from Collector wines and were not disappointed. Canberra is now at the top of our to-visit list once we can break free of our borders after we tucked into the Collector 2018 Marked Tree Shiraz, with hits of cherry, pepper and aniseed going down a treat. Let’s talk about cost. Keep an eye out for offers like free shipping, and expect reasonable prices since going direct to the winery cuts out the middle man, making things more affordable for winemakers and wine drinkers alike. https://www.iheartwine.com.au/
Scribd
Escapism is where it’s at for a lot of us right now, and that’s never been easier if you’ve got the Scribd app on your phone. It’s a subscription that unlocks not just audio books, ebooks and magazines, but also podcasts and even sheet music. There’s never been a time to pick up that acoustic guitar again! Or if that’s a little too much like work right now, pop on a bestseller audio book and go for a lap around the park. The Editor’s Pick section of the ebooks is our new playground, with the likes of titles by Margaret Atwood ready to read in minutes. You can sort through the vast collection by category, but also by what’s trendy, so you’ll get a mixed bag of everything from Brené Brown to Ernest Hemingway. There’s a 30 day free trial for first timers, and from there, you’re looking at $13.99 a month to carry a library in your pocket. https://www.scribd.com/
DoorDash
The name says it all – this app saves you from having to do a dash to your favourite store, restaurant, supermarket, corner store, chemist… you name it, they’re dashing all over the country. Bigger than Ben-Hur in America, this handy app is building buzz here lately, because it’s the perfect lockdown solution. Along with the takeaways and restaurants we all know and love, there’s the likes of IGA supermarkets, bottleshops, Chemist Warehouse and even the Reject Shop on the app. Happy shopping! https://www.doordash.com/
Whether you want to work out, wind down or get into some wine, get appy!
