Get Help With Your New Year’s Resolutions
Whether you’re an iPhone fan or a Droidie like me, chances are you have a smartphone. Nearly half of Americans use a smartphone and it is estimated that there are nearly one billion smartphones in the world, with that number increasing every day. So why not harness the power of your smartphone to help you achieve your New Year’s resolution goals! Many of our resolutions are related to health and fitness and the Five Healthy New Year’s Resolutions that we presented last year are just as pertinent for 2013 as they were in 2012. The good news is that if you didn’t quite live up to all your expectations last year, your iPhone or Droid may be able to help.
Check Out These Apps!
Your smartphone is so smart that it can be your own personal trainer, your conscience when you’re tempted to eat those goodies and your library of information about health and safety. It is estimated that there are 40,000 medical apps available and while many of these are designed for use by health care providers there are numerous apps for health care consumers, as well. Sorting through this long list in search of the very best ones can be a daunting task, but a quick Google search will help you find apps that are tailored to your own personal needs. Just to get you started, here are some of the most popular ones that may help you stick to your New Year’s Resolutions this year. Most of them are free and can be used with either the iPhone or Android unless otherwise noted. We’d love to hear about your favorite apps in the Comment Section below.
Fitness
–Fitness Buddy: personal trainer, $.99
–My Fitness Pal: calorie counter and diet tracker
–Run Keeper: personal trainer
–Map My Run, Ride or Walk: uses GPS to track running data
Weight Loss
–Lose It!: monitors diet and exercise to help achieve weight loss goals
–BMI Calculator: measures body mass index
Food
–Fooducate: detailed product information
–Traffic Light Food Tracker: rates food based on fat, sugar, sodium content
–GoMeals: tracks food, activity, blood sugar
Diabetes
–Glucose Buddy: tracks blood sugar and medications
–Blood Sugar Tracker by healthycloud.com: tracks blood sugar (iPhone)
Medical Information
–WebMD mobile: symptoms, conditions, medications, first aid
-iTriage: symptoms, their causes and what to do
–GoodRx: comparison shop for prescription drugs
Disclaimer: Mentioning these mobile apps on Health Matters does not constitute an endorsement or guarantee of effectiveness.