We hear about how our technology devices have detrimental affects on our health from staring at the glowing screens to spending more time sitting with our phones than being active outside.
While those are legitimate concerns, technology can also be used to IMPROVE your health. Here are a few ways you can get started:
Food Evaluations on the Go – Get instant nutritional information on thousands of foods, both fresh and restaurant prepared, so you can make better choices for healthy eating.
Find Recipes – Whether you download a healthy-recipe app (Spark Recipes, Simply Organic) or just use your voice-search to ask for healthy recipes with the foods you have available. Then use your device in the kitchen like a cookbook to read the recipe while you cook!
“Techsercise” – Use smart devices like Fitbit watches, Apple watch and other smart watches (which connect to your mobile devices) to help track your exercise, monitor your progress, motivate you to do more, and share your results with friends (for even more motivation!!)
Get Better Sleep – You can use a smartphone and other smart devices to track and regulate your breathing and track your sleep patterns. Some of these apps include soft music or white noise that can automatically turn on and off and automatically keep a “sleep diary.” High-tech nightshirts embedded with a chip can process your breathing to track sleep cycles.
Exercise With Apps – There are dozens of apps available that give you access to exercise programs, reminders, training information, and more. Some apps include:
- Aaptiv – Unlimited access to audio-based fitness classes led by professional trainers
- 7 Minute Workout by Simple Design – Instructions for a quick workout anywhere
- Daily Burn – Live daily workouts designed for fitness beginners
- Daily Yoga- Guided yoga videos for beginning to advanced practitioners
- Couch to 5K – Offers an effective program for helping new runners train for a race
- Freeletics Bodyweight – Instructions for 5-30 min workouts with no equipment needed
- 5 Minute Pilates – Pilates exercises perfect for beginners
- Sworkfit – Sets up a six-week exercise program based on your fitness goals
- JEFIT Workout Tracker – Set up, track, and get insights on a personalized fitness program
- Calm – Meditation programs
Go to your Appstore or Google Playstore and search any of these words to get more information.
Telehealth – More and more medical providers and insurance providers are offering “telehealth” where you connect to a medical professional for a video-appointment to get a professional medical advice.
Gadgets – Whether you are trying to stay fit or have a chronic condition, you might benefit from a gadget designed to help you monitor health. Some of the popular ones include:
- Air pollution monitor – Measures air temp and humidity and checks for gases/allergens
- EKG monitor – Touch a special pad with your fingers to get instant heart health info
- Germ travel wand – Use on your airplane seat, hotel bed, or other surface to kill bacteria
- Portable gluten tester – Check food before eating if you have a gluten allergy
- Fitness tracker – Monitor your steps, staircases, heartrate, and sleep with watch-style trackers
- Wireless BP monitor – Syncs with your smartphone to give you instant blood pressure measurements
These are just some of the ways you can use technology to improve your health. Do a search for “using your smartphone for fitness” to get more ideas!
