Hey there Guys,
Today I wanted to talk about a few of the apps that I carry on my iPhone that I’ve found very helpful for my health. I was alerted to sharing these apps after reading an interesting infographic from Mashable.com that showed:
- 80% of doctors are using smart phones and medical apps
- nearly 80% of people in the USA are interested in mobile health applications
- and 40% of doctors agreeing the mobile health apps can help decrease the number of doctor visits needed.
As noted by the BBC news, doctors in the UK are already starting to prescribe apps to their patients to help increase health outcomes.
The Department of Health says its initiative is the “next step” in the drive to give patients more control over their own health.
The apps could help diabetics keep a check on their blood sugar and patients monitor their own blood pressure.
I actually suggest apps to my patients fairly frequently and below are three of my favourite health apps.
What health apps do I recommend?
For those you are diabetic this app is fantastic: Glucose Buddy
Glucose buddy is a very well produced app for tracking your blood sugar levels. You can also input your insulin use and it produces a decent graph that can be uploaded to their online site for printing and comparisons. This is very handy for trips to see your doctor.
There are featured add ons including weight and blood pressure (or removing ads) for $3.99, and the ability to allow cross syncing between multiple devices for $12.99. I’m more than happy with the free version as I tend not to obsess over blood pressure and weight. I just check them every couple of weeks so I really don’t need the ad ons. I do find the online site, glucosebuddy.com very useful.
If you enjoy walking, jogging or cycling it can be very motivating knowing exactly how far you have walked after a session. One of the best apps for mapping exercise sessions is RunKeeper. Great news is that it is available for Android, iOS, Windows and even Nokia operating systems.
I really like how RunKeeper offers a great mapping service that you can share on Facebook if you are looking for a bit of “social proof” motivation to keep up your efforts. Much like Glucose Buddy there is a website you can sign up to to keep track of your walks: RunKeeper.com. I quite enjoy trying lots of different directions, exploring my area. Having the map afterwards helps me understand where the heck I have been.
Bonus Tip: This is one of the ways my real estate guru buddy gets to know an area back to front and keep fit!
Be sure to note that all GPS apps tend to drain the battery so it’s important to make sure you switch the app off after your walk. I’m a bit of a power phone user so I have a Mophie external battery which doubles the life of my iPhone battery. Definitely worth considering if you use your phone a lot.
If you are looking to learn a bit more about the foods you are eating may I introduce this interesting new app FoodSwitch.
FoodSwitch is a scanning app that has a big database of nutrition information. Basically as you shop you can scan the bar code of the item you are interested in and it will produce a simple colour coded guide to how healthy the product is. Green is “good”, yellow is “ok” and red is “have a rethink”. The app also offers alternative suggestions for a more healthy choice.
At the moment FoodSwitch is an Aussie app however if you are in the USA, Fooducate is very similar as is Calorie Counter + in the UK.
Power Tip: The really good foods like fresh fruit, vegetables and lean meat from the butcher don’t come with bar codes. Don’t get get stuck with the gimmick of scanning and miss the big picture of healthy eating!
So guys these are three of my favourite healthy apps.
Do you have an app you can’t live without? Yes yes, we all love Scruff 😉 . Please feel free to share your favourite app below.
Yours in geeky good health.
Dr George
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