How Haven Life Plus makes summer less hard

As restrictions ease and vaccination numbers rise, this summer promises to be easier than the last one. But it will still come with its own challenges, including some that are COVID-related (getting beach-ready after a year at home) and some that are not (what to do with the kids?).

Haven Life Plus — a rider to the Haven Term policy that provides a suite of partner services  — can help make summer easier. And, crucially, more fun. Read on to find out how.

It’ll help you get fit

How: Aaptiv, which usually costs $100 a year, comes at no cost with Haven Life Plus. It’s an exercise app with a vast and ever-growing range of options, running the gamut from hardcore workouts to meditation. New options are being added constantly.

Why: Getting in shape this summer may be more challenging than usual, since many of us have been pretty sedentary over the past 12 months. Aaptiv makes it less hard by providing a range of workouts that allow you to start gently, perhaps with guided walks, and increase your level of activity until you’re doing full cardio. Also, although gyms are reopening, haven’t you spent enough time inside lately? Aaptiv workouts can be done in the great outdoors.

It’ll help you stay healthy

How: MinuteClinic is a no-appointment-needed medical clinic that you’ll find at CVS and Target. (It also offers telehealth.) Perhaps most importantly, policyholders can use Plus to get 15% off select MinuteClinic services, including cholesterol screening, Start to Stop smoking cessation, weight loss assessments and more. (Any of those might be especially useful after 15 months of pandemic and quarantine.)

Why: It’s likely been awhile since you really threw yourself into summertime things, both because of the season and because of COVID. You might pull a muscle. Your kid might fall off a playscape while at the park. Frankly, you might pull a muscle chasing your kid on a playscape. Things happen. And when they do, that’s when MinuteClinic comes in handy. You can use it for minor illnesses and injuries, as well as screenings and vaccinations, which you might be behind on given the pandemic. Fun? Maybe not. But MinuteClinic makes them all easier to deal with.

It’ll help you stay secure

How: LifeSite is like a super-secure online filing cabinet where you can store all your documents, from birth certificates to medical records to passwords and more. They can be accessed from anywhere, but only by you (and those who share your account).

Why: Two reasons. One: You may actually get to travel this summer, and it’ll be far easier to manage your life if you can access your documents from anywhere. Two: One of this summer’s tasks will be getting yourself and your family organized for a return to some kind of normality in the fall. LifeSite can play a major role in helping you painlessly organize your documents for all of that and more.

It’ll help you check things off your to-do list

How: With Trust & Will, you can make a legally binding will without leaving the couch — at no cost. (Or, if you make a trust, you’ll get a credit for trust services through Haven Life Plus.) It’s all online and can take as little as 15 minutes.

Why: In all honesty, there is nothing about making a will that screams “summer fun,” but it is undoubtedly true that getting your affairs in order makes life less hard, regardless of the season. Also, if you and your family plan to have a summer that is relaxed, fun and carefree (at least compared to last year), that’ll be a whole lot easier if you remove unnecessary stress — like the stress of not having a will.

It’ll make your return to traveling even more glorious

How: Timeshifter is an anti-jetlag app created with NASA-backed science and contributions from a Harvard neuroscientist. It takes a detailed, scientific approach to helping you deal with jetlag from your summer vacation. And perhaps most impressive of all: It’s free through Haven Life Plus, and $24.99 for everyone else.

Why: If you haven’t been on a summer vacation for a while, that may change this summer, and adapting to jetlag (or driving-cross-country-and-staying-with-in-laws-lag) may be hard if you’re out of practice. Timeshifter makes it easier, with clear, timed instructions for what to do when (napping, avoiding light, drinking coffee, staying up). Also, Timeshifter helps you sleep better in general. If you’re going to have an active summer, you’ll need some rest.

And after the year we’ve all had, you deserve it.