This Christmas, like so many in years past, is clearly brimming with new technology. From tablets and watches to phones and virtual reality devices, the bar continues to rise in the field of tech, gadgets, wearable fitness devices and electronic toys. With all this technological advancement there definitely comes a new wave of fun, but a new door has also been opened to a bright world of health tracking, workout change-ups, nutrition logs and more. If you’re gifting a new device to someone, already own one, or are hoping to receive one this Christmas, tapping into these health apps is a good idea. With 2017 right around the corner, a jump start on your health & fitness goals is a great way to begin the New Year.
The variety of apps available to you on any of your devices is quite honestly overwhelming. There are a few categories that I want to point out when selecting the most useful health apps: tracking apps that will help you gather information to share with me as your chiropractor, with your family physician or specialist, or your fitness professional; workout apps to help you come up with new fitness plans; and apps either for medication reminders or some extra motivation to exercise.
iHealth Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor
www.ihealthlabs.com
This sleek gadget syncs to your iPhone or other Apple devices via bluetooth and provides a plethora of easy-to-read data. Having your blood pressure reading available at your fingertips is extremely valuable when monitoring your health, activity levels and when your body is signaling that it needs some extra attention. By staying in the know, you can help your health provider gauge your current well-being and understand your health history. What’s the hype over blood pressure? Read my blog post on it here.
Stress Check by Azumio
www.azumio.com/apps/stress-check/index.html
Stress Check measures your body’s stress level by taking your heart rate through your smartphone camera. Simply download the app, follow the directions and use your fingertip against the camera to have your heart rate monitored. The app provides your stress level (0-100) and will give you tips on how to maintain or lower your bodily stress.
Relieving stress is helpful in all of life’s situations; you gain mental clarity, lower cortisol levels resulting in less fat storage, lower blood pressure and a better mood!
Optimism
www.findingoptimism.com
Compatible with Apple and Windows, this app helps you monitor your happiness. Keeping tabs on your emotional health is helpful (especially in winter) because it allows you to observe patterns and avoid conflicts that cause emotional distress. We all know that life is a lot more enjoyable when we’re feeling great (physically and mentally), so this is a great app to install just for the added awareness.
Optimism has tabs to track medication, stressors, breakthroughs and mood stability.
LoseIt!
www.loseit.com
LoseIt! is a comprehensive food tracking app that helps you set calorie goals, rate food on a scale of healthy versus unhealthy and even create a tailored weight-loss plan. I highly recommend this app to virtually everyone, whether you’re looking to lose weight or not. The data is very informative and revealing of our bodies’ nutritional health. Foods you eat regularly will sometimes surprise you on the health scale, and that in itself is worth the download.
A bonus perk: you can print off your food log for the week and bring it with you to your next appointment with me! I encourage my patients to monitor their food intake, and this app takes all the guesswork out of it.
Sworkit
www.sworkit.com
Sworkit keeps you motivated by helping you come up with new exercises to try on a daily basis. You can find literally hundreds of exercises that will be within your fitness level, time limit and that pertain to the area you’re hoping to train. This app is great for all fitness levels, from beginner to experienced gym goer. It’s especially helpful if you’re traveling for the holidays and won’t be in your familiar gym/class routine!
As always, feel free to consult with me about the types of exercises that would be most beneficial for you and your specific goals. I can help point you in the right direction or give you insight as to which exercises to avoid based on your strengths and weaknesses.
Happy downloading! Let me know which app is your favorite during your next office visit.
Best of health,
Dr. Chad M. Hoffman
Lifestyle Chiropractic
(920) 499-3333
drchadmhoffman@gmail.com
I’m really interested to use these fitness apps. I have a smartphone so it would be helpful to have some fitness apps when I work out and do cardio.