Steve Miller of Susquehanna Twp. traded in his rudimentary cellphone for an iPhone 4S a few weeks ago and has already lost more than five pounds because of it â€" and it has nothing to do with the weight of his magical new mobile device.
Miller downloaded a free health and fitness app from MyFitnessPal [1] that has motivated him to work out more at an area gym and monitor his calorie intake, without having to do the math or keep a paper food diary.
The 50-something businessman is part of a growing trend of health-conscious, tech-savvy consumers who are using an app each day to keep the doctor away.
With nearly half of American adults owning a smartphone, according to Pew Internet & American Life Project, the number of available apps is growing. Health and fitness apps can help you track everything from cocktails and contractions to cigarettes and sugar levels.
“It’s opened my eyes. It’s unbelievable,†Miller said of his smartphone. “It’s just so convenient. Your phone is not just a phone.â€
Miller shops for new apps at the app store site on the phone, searching by category or title and often learning about new apps from friends at the gym. The apps come with reviews and ratings depicted by stars, like a movie rating.
To begin the MyFitnessPal app [2] , Miller input his height, weight, activity level and weight goal, and then the app did the rest, calculating how many calories he can eat each day and keeping a running tally, broken down by calories, sodium, carbs, protein and sugar.
If he has a late-night craving, the app might propel him toward an apple instead of a donut. And he can see how even 20 minutes of cardiovascular exercise frees up calories for him to consume.
Seeing your calorie totals in front of you, and how you burn through them with exercise “keeps you more goal-oriented and more focused,†Miller said. “You’re so drawn to it.
“It inspires you to eat better and work out,†he said. “It makes you stop and think, ‘Do I really want to knock out those stupid calories for nothing?’â€
With so many apps now at your fingertips, KidsHealth.org [3] , a division of Nemours, called the wise choice of mobile health apps one of the biggest issues to watch in 2012. No longer do parents just call their mothers or pediatricians when baby has a fever; they check their smartphones. But, KidsHealth urges parents to make sure the apps they access are authored by reputable health experts, with “credible, accurate and up-to-date†information.
KidsHealth even has its own app to help parents determine whether a child’s illness is contagious. Locally, Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center has a symptom checker app, and one to tell whether a coffee break will help or not.
And the popular WebMD website [4] is now available for free for your iPhone. It includes a symptom checker, treatment options and more. But the disclaimer speaks volumes, warning that WebMD is no substitute for your doctor. The site reminds readers that reviewers and bloggers might lack medical or scientific training, and their posts are not checked for accuracy and balance.
Because apps can be built by anyone, from a mega-corporation to the teenager down the street, antivirus giant Norton.com advises smartphone users to obtain apps only from an official market. Norton.com tells consumers to make sure the app is well-rated and highly downloaded â€" clues to its content purity. Beware of an “app attack,†because malware, spyware and viruses are always dangers. Security software is available to automatically scan downloaded apps and app updates for threats, block fraudulent websites and remove mobile hazards designed to eavesdrop on you, control your mobile device or send spam texts.
But despite the potential dangers, smartphones promise to make us smarter consumers.
“Smartphones have given us a device that basically allows for constant self-surveillance,†said Dr. Daniel George, a professor at Harrisburg University, an assistant professor in the Humanities Department at Penn State College of Medicine and a fan of the My Tracks app. “The basic underlying philosophy is that the more information consumers have access to, the more inclined they will be to act in their own self-interest and therefore the greater public interest.â€
“What I find most compelling is the way the technology and information has been ‘socialized.’ ... I now see friends who go on runs and have an app that automatically publishes their distance/times to Facebook,†George said.
“When I see a friend running a good time it often nudges me to go out for a run,†George said. “Given that humans are such social creatures and respond more powerfully to social pressures rather than massive public health campaigns, I think this sort of technology is quite remarkable.â€
“The phone provides not only constant access to external health information but also a means of monitoring oneself and sharing health-related data across social networks. I think this may be the start of a Copernican shift for public health, and the field is only now gaining traction in how to use these technologies/social networks to inspire healthier behaviors,†George said.
Kelly Lewis, president and CEO of TechQuest PA, operated by the Technology Council of Central PA, noted that apps today track everything from allergies and Crohn’s disease triggers to diabetes imbalances and reactions. “Smartphones will increasingly play a role in advanced health care, disease prevention and wellness planning,†he said.
Some health apps:
Local apps
Top health apps for Android phones, according to Android Rundown:
Popular health apps for iPhones, according to Apple:
BY DIANE WHITE MCNAUGHTON For The Patriot-News
Links
- ^ MyFitnessPal (www.myfitnesspal.com)
- ^ MyFitnessPal app (itunes.apple.com)
- ^ KidsHealth.org (kidshealth.org)
- ^ WebMD website (www.webmd.com)
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