Apps are everywhere. We hear about them everyday. How do we know what to choose? Personally, I always go for the FREE apps when possible. With that in mind, I thought I would share some healthy apps to help you with your weight loss goals, making healthier choices, and organizing all your health and medical information.
1. Health Vault – Login using Microsoft or Facebook account, or create a new account. You will be able to keep a record of the following:
- Health information – allergies, conditions, encounters, family history, immunizations, insurance, medications, and procedures
- Trackers – dietary intake, emotional state, exercise, medication usage, and sleep journal
- Measurements – blood glucose, blood pressure, cholesterol, height, and weight
- Contacts – a great place to keep up with names, numbers, and addresses of your health care providers and insurance.
Note: All this information can be updated on the computer at http://healthvalut.com, as well, and then will show up on your app. I find this much easier if you’re not on the go. Also, once you’ve established an account, you can keep health records for your entire family.
2. iTriage – To take full advantage of this app, you will need a Health Vault account. Also, if you choose to download this app, do so from your mobile device. The website does not accommodate any downloads for mobile devices.You will update your information on your Health Vault account (via computer or app) and then it will show up on your iTriage app, under My iTriage. In addition to keeping up with everything listed in your Health Vault, you can self-diagnose non-emergency symptoms, by clicking on your symptoms until you finally get to possible diagnoses. You can also find a list of doctors, hospitals, clinics, and pharmacies in your area, depending on your need and their specialty. It will even tell you how far they are and give you a map and directions to get there. Information on over-the-counter and prescription medications is also a key feature of this app. There are too many features of this app to list them all. Basically this app keeps you up-to-date with all your current medical information and helps you find answers to all your medical questions. I highly recommend this one for all your medical needs.
3. Fooducate – The main feature of this nifty app is that it allows you to make more educated (hence the name – Fooducate) choices when trying to eat healthier. There are a ton of foods listed in the app that give you all the details you need to make the right choice.
This app even gives them a letter grade rating, based on how healthy they are. This takes all the guess-work out of it. If you’re not sure, or don’t feel like scrolling through the list, then you may simply use your smart phone or other camera ready device to scan the bar code in the store or at home, and get the information you need right on the spot. I know for myself, if I am looking for a snack and I see one that has a ‘C-‘ rating and one that has an ‘A’ rating, I am more likely going to make the smarter, healthier, choice. In addition to knowing what you’re eating, you can set goals, track your food, weight, and more with this app.
4. MyFitnessPal – This handy app helps you keep a diary of your food, exercise, weight, and measurements. It allows you to set weight loss goals, join communities of like-minded people, and reports your progress (even publicly, if you allow it, so that it keeps you motivated to keep checking-in). For me, seeing that I might need to burn an extra 100 calories to stay within my allotted net calories for the day motivates me to go hop on the treadmill or bike for 20-30 minutes. Additionally, you can find recipes or add your own. It calculates the calories and other nutritional information for you. Like the other apps, you will just have to try it to see all the great features. It’s sort of like a free weight loss tracker and coach (via all the friends you can make). I find it to be similar to Weight Watchers’ online program, but it’s keeping track of calories and not points, and it’s FREE.
5. FootstepsFree – No need to buy a pedometer, this app takes care of tracking steps, distance, time, speed, calories, and average speed for you. It’s a great tool if you’re serious about getting your steps in, or if you just want to know each day how much you walk when you’re out and about. It can also motivate you to achieve new goals by doing things such as taking the stairs, rather than the elevator (image at beginning of article is a screen shot of this app on an iPhone).
There are literally 1000’s of apps dedicated to medical, health, and fitness. If you don’t like these apps, go to your app store and search by keywords such as ‘calorie counter’ or’ health’ and you will surely find one that will meet your needs, even if you have to pay just a few dollars for it. Enjoy!
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Written by Rhonda Wylie
Rhonda is a self-taught entrepreneur, blogger, and aspiring freelance writer, who is always eager to take on new challenges. She is on a self-improvement mission of cleaning out the negative clutter of her own life so she can become a happier, healthier, and more productive individual. Her hope is to inspire each person to eliminate the negative clutter that’s weighing them down, so we can all live our best life EVER!
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