It’s a digital world, so you may want to embrace the inevitable and become a digital girl or boy. With our smartphones, we have unlimited access to addictive apps and games that not only keep us plugged into Instagram or Twitter but also compulsively bugging our friends with “Candy Crush” invites. But there’s no reason you can’t use your phone or computer to help you win the battle of the bulge. Here are some tech-savvy ways of achieving your health goals.
Hit it with a Fitbit
The latest must-have gadget is the Fitbit. We may not have watches that let us video conference or teleport us to our desired location, but the Fitbit is pretty impressive. It’s a blend of a pedometer, heart-rate monitor, GPS and sleep tracker. You can use it to track your activity per day, calories you’re burning while exercising and how much rest you’re getting each night. It tracks all these metrics on the accompanying app that you can check from your phone or computer. Sleep, physical activity and calories consumed are an important part of your health no matter your health goals. Whether you want to lose a couple of pounds, become a gym bunny or just not die seven years early, here’s your chance to take the right steps.
Get Your App in Gear
Whether you need to gain or lose weight, calorie counting can be a real pain. Gone are the days of weighing chicken breasts and checking a calorie bible for every bite you take. Luckily, there are apps to help you track how many calories you are consuming per day. Lose It is more than just a weight-loss app, it tracks how many calories it’ll take to reach your ideal weight, help you plan meals and, most importantly, maintain your ideal weight. You set your goal weight and enter in what you eat each day and how many calories you burn. The app helps you manage how much you should be eating each day to reach and maintain your goal weight. It also has an easy barcode scanner and user-submitted recipes so you can count calories without much hassle. Every step you take and every bite you make … it will be watching you.
Exercise Anywhere
With technological advances, there really is no excuse to not work out — except for the 50 reasons currently running through your head right now. Who couldn’t use a gym membership? However, there’s nothing stopping you from working out for as low as $.99 or even for nothing at all. The Gorilla Workout app is only $.99, and it provides a whole bunch of equipment-free strength exercises you can do anywhere. These exercises have been perfected to be easy, super-efficient and totally doable in the smallest of spaces. If you need help, it includes video demonstrations. The app also tracks your progress and workouts.
If you’re more a fan of workout classes, there are actual workout videos available on YouTube. Yep, it’s not just for cat videos. Explore dance workouts, Zumba or even targeted muscle group classes. If you are more into workout challenges, there are even a few workout regimens floating around social media. Ab, push-up and squat challenges are all over Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. They start with a few minutes of exercise per day until you work up your endurance to more reps. Plus, you get the added bonus of beating, and possibly public shaming, your Internet pals.
Remember You’re a Special Unique Flower
It can be cumbersome to remember to take meds, vitamins or your shot of apple cider vinegar each day, but it’s easy to set up calendar reminders via your phone. You can either set an alarm or get calendar updates sent to your phone. You can set these periodic reminders to tell you get stuff some water in your face, eat a snack or remember that smoking kills. This mobile equivalent of a note from your mom in your lunch box might be the key to changing your health goals. Besides, if she called to tell you to take your vitamins, you’d end up talking about Sheila down the street and answering intrusive questions about your love life and the weather.
It’s Not Delivery it’s D’Lazy
Eating healthy is a great goal, but going out to get fresh produce can be a major pain in the ass — especially if you’re feeling a little lazy or don’t have the resources to get out. However, there are plenty of meal- and grocery-delivery services you can use online. Amazon is continuing to find new ways to keep you indoctrinated in the collective. It has a new grocery delivery service called Amazon Fresh. You can use it to get fresh produce, vegetables or healthy snacks delivered right to your door. Companies like Plated and Graze provide you with meal and snack delivery options. You can get gourmet, healthy meals and snacks delivered right to your door. If you’re super-lazy and a slave to Seamless, why not upgrade your diet?
These are just a few ways you can take advantage of technology to live healthier and reach your fitness goals. Best of all, they eliminate a lot of the guess work and hassle and ensure you can do it all whatever your schedule, commitment level and math skills.
Christian Cintron is a contributing journalist for TheBlot Magazine.
