Last week I was privileged to be a participant in a wonderful employee wellness fair at Yorktel’s corporate headquarters in Eatontown, NJ. If you haven’t heard of Yorktel, you probably will soon. As their corporate slogan cheers, “…Once called the video industry’s best kept secret, Yorktel makes video work. We are your visual communications partner from end to end and from endpoint to endpoint.” Demo rooms filled with video technology that make Mission Control look outdated give their headquarters a high tech yet elegant look.
I was honored to share powerful insights to many employees. With the building’s lobby converted into a mini convention space, I manned a booth where I described how mobile technology including smart phone apps can empower us with information about exercise and nutrition. Some of these apps included:
- Fitbit: Nutritional tracking, exercise program design, calorie expenditure, sleep habits and other metrics are tracked by a wireless connection between a wristband and smart phone. Cost will vary widely depending on the suite of support apps used. More information can be found on the Fitbit Website.
- USDA Supertracker: The United States Department of Agriculture website is designed to provide menu planning, calorie guidelines, exercise programming and tips on making healthy food choices. This is a free app supported by the taxpayers. .
- Footsteps Free: This iPhone-based pedometer app tracks the number of steps taken, time spent walking or running and calories expended. Basic charts and graphs are included. The free app maxes out at 3000 steps and invites the user to upgrade to the paid version, which costs $1.99.
- Gym Buddy: This exercise-based suite of apps will help you design strength training and cardio programs, tracks the days you exercise on a calendar, charts your progress with slick graphs for all exercises in your routine and allows data to be shared with others. The cost is a bargain at $2.99.
- Weight Watchers Online: This iconic weight loss leader has a simple, easy to use mobile app which includes a goal setting module, 3800 recipes, restaurant guide, snapshots of your status using a weight tracker and progress charts. The cost is a one-time sign-up fee of $29.95 plus monthly payments of $18.95.
Beyond the use of smart phone apps, there are two key old-school ways to use technology to help in your quest to say fit were presented:
- Viewing restaurant menus online prior to dining out is a surefire way to make tactical eating decisions before the first glass of wine clouds your judgment.
- Keep focused on fitness and nutrition by subscribing to related e-zines and blogs. Some of my favorites include:
- And of course, no list would be complete without TrainerJoeSpeaks.
Research indicates increased share of mind equates to decreased waistlines and increased muscle tone, so check out any or all of the above and start your journey to wellness.
What apps do you have on your smart phone? What fitness and nutrition blogs do you like? What tips have you put into practice? I’d love to hear about them.
Good evening. Read the article thought it was very informative. Great choices for apps and good advice for people to help them lose weight and to stay on track. Keep up the good work. Love you see you at Thanksgiving.
Thank you Kathleen. What apps are you going to run on your Smart Phone to help you stay fit and healthy? There are thousands of great apps. If you find any great ones, please let me know.