Good exercise and a healthy diet rich in whole foods are great ways to improve your health, but with a rising tide of technology, there are tools out there that can help you achieve your fitness and health goals. Whether you want to lose weight, gain better muscle tone, or beat your 5k time from 15 years ago, there are great tools out there that can help you get there.
Track Your Calories
Pedometers can give you a basic idea of how many calories you’re burning during exercise. You can find a wide range of pedometers for all prices, giving almost everyone the option to track their steps or mileage throughout the day. Some watches have this tracking device as well. They are small and easy to carry around, making sure you are counting every step throughout the day and have a better understanding of how many calories you are burning.
Keep Track of Your Sleep
Sleep is critical to being in good health and sometimes it’s hard to know exactly how well you’re sleeping except by how tired you are the next morning. There are quite a few simple apps available for iOS and Android you can use to track your sleep and help you improve your health. This is probably the most convenient and easiest way to monitor your sleep, at only a few dollars per app.
Monitor Your Blood Pressure
Hypertension can lead to a variety of heart conditions and if you’re genetically predisposed to having this disorder, it’s very important to keep track of your blood pressure. The Withings’ blood pressure monitor is wireless and easily syncs to your smart device so you have a complete log of blood pressure readings to present to your doctor. This eliminates having to scribble down your reading on a piece of paper and keep track of it between doctor visits. You’ll relieve that stress and your doctor will get an accurate portrayal of your twice daily BP readings.
Motivate Yourself with a Little Competition
The Nike+ Fuelband is the ultimate tool in keeping yourself motivated. The “Fuel” tracks your activity throughout the day and pushes you to reach or even exceed goals that you can change via the Fuelband’s app. The pedometer tracks how many calories you burn and how far you’ve walked and turns it into Nike Fuel. This Fuel will keep you on your toes and keep you from slipping into your sedentary habits.
Take Your Technology Into the Water
Swimming is one of the best forms of exercise you can get but it can be mindless for some people. The UWaterG2 has revolutionized waterproof technology and allows you to take your tunes into the pool. It’s perfectly sized to clip onto goggles or your suit so you can do lap repeats without wanting to swim right back into the locker room. It’s got a built in flotation device so if it falls off, you won’t be fishing for it on the bottom of the pool.
Get Scientific
Good health is all about science, isn’t it? Get heavy duty with your technology and look into www.neurosky.com, which offers wearable biosensors that give you a stunningly accurate portrayal of your age, fitness level and overall health. It gives you so many details that it can even tell you your heart’s fitness and its patterns of fatigue and relaxation.
Jump right into the world of technology to make getting fit and healthy fun. There are a plethora of techie tools out there to make your journey into getting healthy more enjoyable.
