Your smartphone can get you fitter!
Is there anything our smartphones can’t do? They can open and start your car, control the temperature of your thermostats and air conditioners at home, record a TV show when you’re away, all miracles if we think back to a decade ago. And this is not even taking into consideration the way they have changed the way we communicate and work – each year is a new revolution! Over the last couple of years, a new niche of apps suited for a completely new generation of devices we call wearables entered the market. Since we’re in the third generation already, they have been fine tuned to a level where not having these apps on our smartphones makes us appear quite foolish! We’re talking about health apps and fitness trackers, and in this article we’ll talk about how these devices and applications can help you get fitter.
If there is one companion we’re constantly with – whether awake or asleep, it is our phone. Mobile devices have become virtual extensions to our hands, and it is common to see folks leave home without their wallets but carrying their mobile phones! Fitness apps got into our mobile phones a few years ago after Apple put in accelerometers and gyroscopes into our mobiles. Using those in tandem with GPS co-ordinates, a whole new industry of fitness apps was created. The basic apps started off as pedometers with built-in algorithms that converted these steps into calories burnt and threw up a health profile for us to see and to share on social media.
Today’s new generation of apps, however, are a class apart. They work with fitness devices of your choice and maintain a complete health profile. Many of us already have fitness bands and devices that we have gotten used to. In case you don’t have one already, search for and get yourself a health band if you’re serious about fitness. Or you can begin with the free apps on your phone to monitor your day’s activity, and as you get used to it, get a device that syncs with your phone and your daily activity is all maintained as a profile. These apps track all the physical activity you perform throughout the day and throw up a snapshot of your daily routine. You need to manually add the food you consume and the water you drink, and your daily tracker is set. Make this a habit. Every day, as soon as you eat or drink, immediately add it to your smartphone app. In a few days, you’ll get habituated to it, and the phone will tell you whether you’re on track to reaching your goal. Some fitness devices are to be left on even while you sleep and they track your sleep cycle, thereby using that information to create a more complete health profile. Apple has introduced iHealth this year, in which your health snapshot is saved in sync with your Apple account, easily shareable with doctors in times of need.
Use your smartphone well. It’ll keep you fit. Also pick out a few vitamin supplements and you’re well on your way to a healthier you!
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