Whether you want to admit it or not, we are all obsessed with our phones. Smartphones have become an essential that many of us won’t leave our homes without. With strong internet connections and more apps than ever before, they are full of knowledge and information. They can also provide us with entertainment, maps and cameras. Not to mention being a fantastic way of staying connected via texts, calls, face time and instant messages. Even with all this included, phones are getting thinner and smaller for added convenience. They have completely transformed the way we communicate and gather information and ideas. So much so that it’s getting harder and harder to imagine a time when smartphones didn’t exist. Even though it wasn’t all that long ago.
One amazing thing that many people have started to use their smartphones for is to increase their fitness and health. There are thousands of fitness apps to download, and many phones have health and fitness pre-installed. But there are a whole host of other ways in which your phone can help you become a healthier you. Take a look at the following ideas and start using your smartphone to benefit your life in other ways.
It can help you lose weight
Losing weight is something that many of us want to achieve for different reasons. You might want to lose some a few pounds in time for summer. Or you might need to lose a large amount of weight to combat a health concern or for a medical procedure. Whatever the reason, there are a number of things your phone can do to help. You can use it to find healthier low-calorie recipes or meal inspiration on food websites. This can introduce you to new ingredients as well as improving your cooking skills and portion sizes. If you’re unsure how to lose weight naturally, you can visit the social media pages of health and fitness bloggers for tips and advice. You can also use your smartphone to research the best exercises for particular areas of your body that you want to tone.
Another way you can use your smartphone to lose weight is by using your phone’s fitness features and by downloading apps. You could download a calorie counting app to help track your daily intake. You just add what meals and snacks you’ve consumed, and it will calculate the calories. This will give you more control while encouraging you to make healthier food choices. You can also download fitness apps. There are thousands to choose from, so there’s bound to be one or two that appeal to you. You can set goals, get advice and track your exercise progress. These apps will vary and are often specific to particular workouts and exercise styles. So experiment with a few options to see which one works best for you.
A pedometer another feature that is often included in a smartphone’s software. This will monitor the amount of steps you take each day and how much physical activity you carry out. Ideally, you should be walking 10,000 steps per day to stay in top condition. This feature could give you the boost you need to start moving more.
It can help you de-stress
While our physical health and fitness are important, it’s just as important to keep our mental well being in check too. Your phone can be a useful tool that can help you to de-stress and relieve tension. You might be dealing with the death of a loved one or feel immense pressure in your relationship. Whatever the reason, it’s good to have a positive outlet for these feelings and emotions. For instance, you can use the memo pad on your phone to write down how you are feeling each day. Think of it as a simplified diary, where you can jot down some key words and notes. Or you can create a playlist on your phone of soothing music which you can listen to, to make you feel more relaxed. Nature sounds and classical music are popular choices.
Accessing social media and forums on your phone lets you connect with others who have been through similar experiences. This can make you feel less alone and more able to deal with the situation. There are also apps that are specifically designed with mental health in mind. Personal Zen, for example, is a game which aims to boost positive thinking. If you have depression, you can use apps like T2 Mood Tracker to effectively track your mood and gain support. Again, there are endless apps available so visit your phone’s app store to find out more.
It can time you
The majority of smartphones have an easy to use timer pre-installed. This is usually found with your alarm clock feature. This is an essential resource that can count up or down and has a multitude of uses. To begin with, you can use it enhance your dental hygiene regime. We all know how important it is to clean our teeth twice a day to maintain healthy teeth and gums. If we don’t gum disease can develop which can also lead to a number of other severe health problems. Overtime, many of us, lose the correct technique and don’t brush for long enough. Unfortunately, this can increase the risk of health and dental issues later on. Setting the timer on your phone encourages you to take your time and improve your technique. Giving you a healthier mouth and general health in return.
You can also use your phone’s timer to push your fitness levels. You can see how many star jumps you can do or how far you can run in a minute. Or you can time how long it takes you to climb the stairs at work. This is something you can do each day to try and beat your personal best. Keep note of your results and performance, again, using the notepad or memo feature on your phone. It shouldn’t take long for your fitness and results to improve. Being able to see your progress will give you a lot of motivation to keep working towards your goals.
CC Image courtesy of pieterouwerkerk on Flickr
It can help you stay organized
To help us stay in top condition, we often need professional and expert help. Whether it’s the dentist, doctor or personal trainer, we need to schedule regular appointments and stick to them. We all lead busy lives and sometimes it’s easy to forget an appointment. But this can have damaging effects on our health and lower our fitness levels. Thankfully there are a number of ways in which our phones can help us to stay organized. To get started, look for the calendar feature on your phone. The majority of phones have this, but not everyone uses them to their full advantage. When you make an appointment, you can add the date and time into your phone’s calendar and set an alert. This alert can be set to go off the week, day or hour before your appointment time to remind you. This can be useful if you can be forgetful. If you don’t like using the pre-set calendar on your phone, there are multiple calendar apps you can download instead.
Alarms on your phone can also be used to remind you to take your medication. If you have a long-term illness that requires daily medication, it can be life threatening to forget. If you have to take different medication at different times, it can also be confusing to stay on track. You can use your phone to set reminders throughout the day to help you. You can state which medication you need to take at certain times and how much. You can also use these alerts to remind you to stock up on your medication before it runs out. The last thing you want is to run out and for your condition to worsen. Use your phone’s calculator to help you work out how many days worth of medication you have left to determine when you need to get more.
Another way to stay organized by using your phone is by creating a sleep schedule. Sleep is essential to multiple aspects of your health from giving you energy to healing. So it’s important that you get 8 hours each night to stay fit and healthy. Use your phone to set alarms to wake you up and to remind you when to go to sleep. You can also download sleep apps that track your sleep patterns and highlight which hours you slept most soundly. These functions will help you to create an improved sleep schedule which will make you feel better almost instantly.
These are just a few ways in which your smartphone can help you become a happier and healthier person all round. Many people are unable to see the potential assistance and support that their smartphone can provide. So instead of just using your phone for call and Facebook status updates, start using it to it’s full potential. Use the ideas featured in this guide and discover what other fitness features your phone has to offer.
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