YOUR BEST LIFE
Tips for Living Healthy in South Arkansas
Jason Rogers
Manager, JRMC Wellness Centers
The area of health and fitness certainly hasn’t been immune to the march of technology. It’s still a fact that any individual making the decision to become and stay healthy must put in the physical work to make it happen. But technology, in the way of Smartphone apps (applications), can certainly help. The Nielsen Company (most well known for its TV ratings) estimates that in January of 2014 almost one third of Smartphone users in the United States used apps from the fitness and health category. That’s about 46 million people – an 18% increase from January of 2013.
If your phone is with you all day, your app(s) will be too. We are all so busy that sometimes, our schedules may not allow us to seek out the professional advice and guidance we need to take adequate care of ourselves. Health and Fitness apps can help alleviate some of that. Your phone can act as a personal chef, personal trainer, GPS, fitness tracker, or fitness blog. The iPhone 6 even has an app (called Health) that will interface with other apps in order to try and collect all your information in a central location.
We barely have space in this column to scratch the surface of this topic, so we will just mention a few of 2014’s most notable apps (according to the research company AppData). One of these may fill your needs and if they don’t, may get you pointed in the right direction.
Noom Weight helps you lose weight by coaching you as you log your diet. You can also join a group of users to get more support. Noom ranks at No. 191 in Apple’s “Top Free Apps – Health and Fitness” yet had over 55,000 Facebook logins in the month of June.
As the name implies, Zombies, Run! tries to turn boring runs into an exciting chase with zombies. The app puts together a story while you’re running all the while tracking your stats.
Weilos users connect in a community of individuals striving to lose weight. Users can post photos and quotes of encouragement to each other. The company claims that its users have lost more than 150,000 pounds since June of this year.
Nike Training Club is a training app targeted to women where they are able to choose individual workouts, or long-term programs. Nike Training Club ranks No. 32 in Apple’s “Top Free Apps – Health and Fitness”.
Fooducate is a great food tracker. But it also lets you scan the barcodes of the foods at the grocery store and give that food a “nutrition grade,” suggesting healthier alternatives if the grade is bad. Ranks No. 33 (over 65,500 Facebook logins in June).
Weight Watchers Mobile makes it easier to take the company’s classic weight loss program (of which I am a huge fan) with you wherever you are. Ranked No. 27.
MyFitnessPal’s Calorie Counter holds the No. 1 spot on Apple’s Top Free Apps – Health and Fitness list. The app lets you track your diet in a simple and easy to use way. It also claims to have the largest food database of any iOS (iPhone Operating System) calorie counter.
Check out the apps above and see if you think they might help. If they don’t, rest easy, apps are BIG business these days, so new ones are coming out all the time.
The JRMC Wellness Centers, located in Pine Bluff and White Hall, offer a variety of fitness options for all ages and interests. Free weights, machines, cardio equipment, personal trainers and a full schedule of Les Mills classes are available at both facilities. For more information call the Pine Bluff (541-7890) or White Hall (850-8000) facility.
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