A Weighty Issue

Each month I work with U.S. Cellular and tell you a little about the latest.  This is one of those posts.  I know many of you know kids who will be getting a cell phone for Christmas this year.  I recommend the parent child agreement to start conversations on cell phone use.  If you want to check it out, you can find it here.

A bit ago I told you that my Fitbit died.  Well I tried to get it to work and didn’t so I was back to customer service with Fitbit and again they are sending me a replacement.  I really appreciate their service but am a little sad.  I’m out of my groove.  For those of you who struggle with weight, you likely know what I’m talking about.  I was in a groove to walk my 10,000 steps each day.  I was committed to it and worked to make it happen.  Being I was watching my steps, in turn, I watched what I consumed.  It was a win-win.

Since my Fitbit died, it’s been a loose-loose.  I haven’t been watching my steps and haven’t been watching what I eat.  That’s a real danger this time of year!

I’ve been a Fitbit girl and often use my Samsung Galaxy S6 to check up on my daily stats for my Fitbit. Smart phones are great for that.

Today, mobile devices and apps can make it easier to stay on top of health goals, even during the holidays. Access to the right data and monitoring apps can improve your chances of keeping weight off and enjoying the holiday season.

A recent U.S. Cellular Better Moments survey shows a growing assistance on smartphones for fitness and health. The survey reveals 22 percent of smartphone users keep track of exercise with an app.  When it comes to healthy eating, 18 percent look up calories in their food, and 6 percent monitor blood sugar or other health conditions.

In a recent newsletter from U.S. Cellular they featured some great apps that can help with monitoring.

Fooducate (Free for iOS, Android). First prize winner in the U. S. Surgeon General’s Healthy App Challenge, Fooducate goes beyond counting calories to help users lose weight and live a healthy life. Users can maintain a healthy diet by tracking the quality of calories, not just the quantity, by scanning over 250,000 barcodes to see a specific nutrition grade (A, B, C or D). Fooducate also integrates seamlessly with Apple’s Health app, allowing users to compare calorie consumption and burning.

Since the holidays are stressful, we may need help monitoring blood pressure and the iBP Blood Pressure ($0.99 for Android and iOS) is a great one to use. This blood pressure tracking app uses colors to indicate normal or high readings. It also analyzes data, to create graphs that illustrate trends over time. Those on the road during the holidays can sync data across all their mobile devices to stay on top of stats while traveling.

For those that have joined the wearables fitness world or are thinking about trying one, Garmin Connect (Free for iOS, Android) is a great choice.  It also has a free app that collects personal health and activity data, and then uploads it to the mobile app via Bluetooth. Users will see what workouts or daily routine exercises are helping to reach their fitness goals. With access to health data and fitness stats, users will stay focused from Thanksgiving turkey to New Year’s champagne.

This next one I’ve actually used with success….

A fast, easy-to-use calorie counter and diet tracker that can help take those pounds off confidently even during the holidays is MyFitnessPal (Free for iOS, Android) With the largest food database and fitness data entry, users will know when their calorie output isn’t keeping up with their calorie input so they can make adjustments. The MyFitnessPal network also encourages users to connect with friends as they pursue their goals as well.

Another great app to help you track calories is Lose It! It tracks your caloric intake and monitors your diet, helping you manage your weekly calorie budget and ensure that you are consuming the proper foods. What I really like about this app is that it integrates with sites such as Facebook and Twitter so you can stay connected with friends and family across country to keep your health goals on track during the holiday season as well. 

Whether you’re using the apps to track calories during the holidays or monitor a health condition year round, U.S. Cellular has the network and the devices to make the experience seamless.

That’s the latest with fitness and health apps.  I am patiently waiting for my new Fitbit to show up.  I’m hoping once it comes I can get back into the mode of watching my steps and food intake just a bit more.