There is an annual holiday ritual that goes something like this: Beginning around the end of November, there are almost weekly holiday gatherings with multiple appetizers, main courses, side dishes, various desserts and sweet rich beverages, all culminating on New Year’s Eve. All this feasting is followed by short-lived resolutions to exercise, moderate our caloric consumption and take better care of ourselves, accompanied by a sharp uptick in memberships to local gyms. Statistics show that after three weeks most of us revert back to our pre-holiday patterns of behavior.
Did you know that your mobile phone and digital watch can be a key to breaking this annual cycle? Yes, there’s an app for that! Actually, there are many apps designed to help us keep track of our physical activity and wellness. Health apps can remind us to stay active, analyze patterns and trends, and even suggest how to improve our overall health and well-being. Apps can address specific physical activities such as exercising, walking, running, cycling and swimming. There are also apps for helping us to rest, relax, meditate and even assist with sleeping patterns. Some apps are designed to monitor health issues. They can be set to remind us about appointments and medications. They can even sense if there has been a fall or sudden movement. If they sense a fall or shock, the app will ask the user if they require assistance and send an alert if needed or if there’s no response.
Apple’s Health App, the icon with a red heart, is included free as a native app on all iPhones and iWatches. The Google Fit App is available as a free download for Android devices at the Google Play Store. Many of the third-party health and wellness apps communicate with Apple’s and Google’s Health App. All of them give the user the ability to customize based on their preferences for goals and the degree they prefer the apps to remind and encourage them. They also allow users to determine the level of confidentiality they want, from completely confidential to sharing with friends, family and even medical professionals.
Some apps can monitor vital signs such as pulse, blood pressure, glucose levels, respiratory rates and even oxygen levels. A quick online search about apps and vital signs brings up several ways that apps are currently helping people monitor key biometric signs. There is at least one company working on an app that can constantly monitor up to 15 important signs and contact, with permission, a patient’s doctor.
Recent research shows that people who choose to activate, configure and use their health apps are much more likely to stick to their health and wellness routines. BoomerTECH Adventure guides already make use of a few apps. Ed Brazee keeps track of his steps and his running time with his iPhone Health App. BTA guide Jill Spencer uses her iWatch Activity Tracker App for goal setting, daily reminders and end-of-the-day summaries of her activities. She also uses the Calm App to pause and meditate during the day. Chris Toy uses the Strava App to map and measure his progress and effort while biking around town while running errands. He can share his rides with other Strava users who can give and receive encouragement to one another via the app. Being part of a group is a great motivator!
As always, you should consult with your health care provider before making any changes and key decisions about your health and wellness. So, while you’re waiting or planning to make those New Year’s resolutions, you might consider exploring the health app on your phone or watch. We’ll be sharing more about health and wellness apps in the coming weeks. Meanwhile, enjoy the holidays!
BoomerTECH Adventures (boomertechadventures.com) provides expert guidance and resources to help Boomers and older adults develop competence and confidence using their Apple devices. Boomers themselves, BoomerTECH Adventures rely on their skills as educators to create experiences that meet individual needs through videos, Zoom presentations, tech tips, and timely blog posts.
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