Technology is making it easier than
ever to exercise more, eat better, and live longer and the devices you need are
small enough to fit in your pocket or on your wrist.
When most of us think about technology, our
minds settle on our computers or tablets or smartphones products usually
designed to let us do more personally or professionally. Regardless of how
useful these are, it’s not always easy to say they actually improve our quality
of life.
Tracker
Nation
Devices that can, however, are already out
there and improving all the time. Your smartphone can already remind you of
some positive change you want to make, rather than just about all the emails
you haven’t answered. When you check your pocket for your keys, you can learn how
much walking you’ve already done that day. Social networking posts can
encourage you toward your fitness goals, and a headband you put on before
bedtime can teach you to sleep better.
The vast array of available health and
fitness trackers like these can be overwhelming, and it’s never easy to know
where to start or how to stick with the changes you hope to make. But if you’re
interested in making those kinds of changes, you have more options today than
ever before and they’re easy enough for anyone to use.
Technology
is making it easier than ever to exercise more, eat better, and live longer
Step 1
If you’re new to the whole process of using
trackers, the best way to begin is by determining where you are. Sign up for a
service that lets you record your personal metrics: your weight, exercise
regimen, the number of calories you consume, your sleep and heart rate, and so
on. Becoming aware of your own habits and patterns is a crucial step in making
real changes in your life.
If you’re new to the personal data tracking
or “self-quantifying” movement, don’t feel compelled to buy an expensive gadget
right away. Start small and plan to grow. If you’re concerned about your
weight, for example, counting calories should be your first priority. Doing
this can open your eyes to your overall health and wellness patterns, and help
you figure out what to do next.
Of course, you can do things a lot more
complex than this, but don’t want to take on too much at once. Making one small
change (such as accurately logging what you eat for one week), seeing how it
affects you, and then making another is a better way to go and you’ll be more
likely to maintain the progress you make.
Step 2
A calorie counter or a fitness tracker may
be a good way to get information you don’t have, but it can’t do everything.
Once you’ve implemented your first small change, you need to stay with it so
you can build on your accomplishment.
Consider using investments to motivate
yourself. Buy an accessory for your bicycle or a pair of high-quality sneakers
to use at the gym. If you spend good money on this kind of equipment, you’ll
find that it’s much more difficult to justify not using it.
That said, everyone is motivated by
something different. Social encouragement is a popular one for many people –
find a friend or a group of friends to exercise with, so you can support each
other. Or use rewards and positive feedback to help you reach your
ever-expanding goals. Figure out what keeps you motivated, and make sure you
include it in the technologies you use or otherwise incorporate it into your
lifestyle.
Every online fitness service I’ve seen has
a way to connect with friends and sometimes strangers, too – so you can share
your achievements and reach out to a network when you need help or a morale boost.
If you prefer to keep your fitness regimen private, social sharing is always
optional.
Step 3
Not everyone likes to step of a bathroom
scale in the morning and a fair amount of health advice out there specifically
recommends against weighing yourself daily but a lot of people benefit from
seeing their weight change. So the next step in living healthier is to add a
second metric, and for many people it will be weight.
Not everyone will be emotionally ready to
get on the scale immediately, and that’s okay. Starting small, just by counting
calories, will give you the awareness and information you need to take the next
step when you’re ready. But using your own personal judgment, and if necessary
the advice of a qualified medical professional, will help you figure out what
your next move should be, and when you should make it.
Step 4
Once you’ve figured out what metrics you
want to watch, it’s time to start recording them in detail so you know where to
target the changes you want to make. The trackers we identify at the end of
this story are good starting points. Don’t forget to also familiarize yourself
with their online components, so you have all the capabilities and features you
need.
Regardless of what course you pursue, and
which tracker you use to help you get there, taking small but consistent action
is the best way to achieve the results you’re looking for. You’ll still need to
be committed to your goals, but the little reminders you get from a social
network, a smartphone, or a gadget worn on your wrist might make the difference
between success and failure.
Calorie counting
MyFinessPal
(free) is a website that gives you a wealth of easy-to-use tools for doing the
math required for managing your weight
Calorie apps let you easily log your food
and drink intake, and are ideal for use on a smartphone you can take with you
anywhere. In many cases you can even scan bar codes of packaged food to
automatically calculate serving sizes and nutritional data. Here’s our
favorite.
MyFinessPal (free) is a web-site that gives
you a wealth of easy-to-use tools for doing the math required for managing your
weight, and its companion mobile app is even better (there are apps for
Android, Windows Phone, and BlackBerry, too). The MyFitnessPal food database
also surpasses what you can find on rival apps by including other user-uploaded
foods and recipes.
The best connected scales
Fitbit
Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale ($129)
Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale ($129):
Watching your weight should be a digitized, routine, and largely automated
occurrence. Fitbit has met this challenge with the Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale,
which measures your weight and body fat, and syncs the stats to your Fitbit Web
account so you can also log and monitor your physical fitness activities, food
intake, and even how much sleep you get.
Withings
Wi-Fi Body Scale
Withings Wi-Fi Body Scale ($159): You may
not like the idea of a scale that tweets your weight, but the Withings Wi-Fi
Body Scale offers lots of benefits beyond that (optional) one. A smart and
intuitive display demystifies body fat percentage read-outs, your weight
appears in large and easy-to-read numbers, and a companion Web account makes
understanding your health a snap. It’s an excellent way to track your fitness
results over time.
