“Getting fit” is always one of the biggest resolutions of the new year. And yet, as a country we are getting less healthy every year. Obesity is at an all-time high. We are living shorter lives. And diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are on the rise. So, how do we break this cycle? How do we start living our best lives no matter our age? LiveWell Placements has found 5 apps that will help you become healthy, wealthy and wise. Well, maybe not wealthy in the monetary sense but wealthy in terms of your well-being which is worth a lot more!
This app helps you eat better, lose weight, and get healthy by understanding more about the food that you are putting into your body. Most of us don’t go much beyond the calorie count but what about the processed sugar or salt or lack of nutrients? After all, if you don’t know the makeup of your food, you likely won’t know how to feel better through your diet. Fooducate lets you track your food intake and scan product barcodes to see a personalized nutrition grade. It might even motivate you to choose a piece of fruit instead of that chocolate bar.
Have you ever wanted to run a marathon or compete in shorter races but didn’t know how to get started? Running (or walking) provides the health benefits without the investment of a gym or exercise equipment and you can do it just about anywhere. However, taking the first step can be the hardest part. Couch to 5K could be the motivational tool that you need. It helps you go from not running at all to a 5k run in a matter of nine weeks. It helps to track your progress but also provides inspiration via four coaches (that you select) who will feed you audio cues to guide you through each run. You can also share your progress with friends on Facebook and connect to their running support community. If you don’t like to run, then use the app to power walk instead.
There aren’t many apps that can literally save your life but this one can. Have you ever traveled somewhere and worried what would happen if you got sick? Or what about if you were in your local grocery store and became disoriented because you forgot to take your medicine that morning? This mobile app connects you with one button to on-demand global assistance transferring your location and medical information to pertinent professionals. But it isn’t just for emergencies – it’s also a great resource for locating pharmacies, hospitals, and doctors as it instantly recognizes wherever you are in the world and connects you to the closest location.
As we said before, it isn’t always just about exercising but it is also about eating nutritiously and getting your food to work for you. Shopwell is an app that gives you recipes and articles on nutrition. It also allows you to scan items at the grocery store and it provides a list of healthy alternatives based on your goals. For example, if you want to lower your cholesterol or avoid gluten or lactose, it will help you find products that meet those criteria.
Sometimes you need a friend to nudge you in the right direction. MyFitnessPal aims to be that virtual pal that can keep you motivated and look at your health plan holistically. From helping to fine tune your calorie intake that meet specific fitness goals to tracking your workouts, the app helps to keep you on track. It also has a database of more than 11 million foods, allows you to scan barcodes while shopping, save recipes, and connect to like-minded people who are on their own wellness journey.
In summary, no matter which app you choose (or don’t) just get started to improve your quality of life. Set reachable goals for yourself. Walk for 10 minutes a day, eat fruit for dessert instead of sweets, or do leg lifts while you are watching your favorite show on Netflix. The bottom line is that starting small can lead to bigger things. Don’t set yourself up for failure by trying to do everything at once. That just sets you up for failure. Instead make this the year that you make your health a priority in whatever way you can.
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