Use Your Smart Phone for Better Health

by AJ Pettersen · 3 comments

Doctor holding smart phone

The advancement of technology has made many amazing things possible. People across the globe can communicate over the internet without a hitch, allowing news to travel faster than it ever has. Smart phones are a big part of our world becoming “smaller.” They perform numerous tasks, so users can accomplish a great deal with only one device.

Smart phone applications are available in many different categories, with one of the most beneficial being health.

In a number of different ways, these apps strive to improve our well being. Here are some ways that apps can help you live a healthier life:

Sleep

Getting the right amount of sleep is vital. The quality of your sleep also has a huge impact on how you feel throughout the day. I recently downloaded a free trial of Sleep as Android and have been pleasantly surprised by its functionality. It records the amount you sleep, the amount of deep sleep you get (using built-in phone capabilities), and even nighttime noises. It’s been interesting to experiment with what causes changes in my deep sleep. My trial has run up, and I’m considering spending the $2.89 to continue using it. There are also sleep apps available for the iPhone.

Food

Tracking what you eat and finding new things to cook are excellent ways to stay healthy. There are apps that count calories and help formulate a diet that works for you, as well as apps that help you find the right recipes to fit your diet.

I use an app called Epicurious on my iPad. It not only finds good recipes, but will also display meal options based on what you have leftover in the fridge. There are many similar apps; be sure to check the reviews, as some are rated better than others.

Fitness

Working out is another great way to improve overall health. There are many new apps on Android and the iPhone that perform fitness functions. Looking for new yoga poses? Need to find a good triceps workout? There’s an app that can help you. Many apps will use GPS to map your runs and can even tell you how many calories you’re burning.

Whether you’re a runner, weightlifter, or just someone who enjoys getting a good workout, there are apps to suit your needs. Newer Nike shoes even have an app for Apple products that will sync your shoes with your device. This allows very accurate recordings of a few different parameters.

Other apps will track weight lifting activity or set up yoga routines. These can be very helpful for beginners and experts alike.

Use Apps to Better Yourself

Do some research on the smart phone apps available to you. What could you do to improve your lifestyle? If you want to improve your sleep, eating habits, or fitness, there’s a plethora of apps available.

How do you use your smart phone to better your health?

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  • Ashely @VaultWorthy says:

    Gotta love all the apps out there! MyFitnessPall is really great and lets you scan the barcode of the packaged products you eat so it makes it easier to add to your daily diary. I just started using SleepCylce to keep track of my sleeping patterns. It tracks your sleeping cycles and gives you a percentage of overall sleep you received. It also lets you set goals to improve your sleeping and deep sleep stage. Pretty impressive apps worth checking out.

  • Toto says:

    RunKeeper and Fitocracy are the apps that I definitely recommend. Cheers!

  • Jon @ MoneySmartGuides says:

    I use Lose It! to track my calories and macros. A co-worker uses MyFitnessPal and that is pretty neat since it incorporates both your eating and fitness into one app. I haven’t made the switch yet, mainly because I enjoy the interface of Lose It so much.

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