Health and Wellness Blog

Have Apps taken over your life? Be honest … you are probably spending as much time on them these days as you are talking to your friends and family!

I just recently became a smartphone convert myself, and I was instantly enchanted and addicted to finding, downloading and researching all things apps.

I have discovered that there are not only entertaining ones out there for playing games, finding recipes, getting beauty tips and such, but also some very practical and handy ones for news, weather, finances, email, social networking, and the list goes on and on. What really stood out to me, however, are the Health and Wellness apps for health enthusiasts, like myself, on the go! Great!

So if you are like me, you only go for free apps, because we pay enough for our phones as it is.

Whether you are interested in tracking your fitness and eating habits, or simply staying informed about your health and taking better care of yourself, there should be an app out there with your name on it!

Doctors are even saying that doctor visits can be significantly decreased if more people were to use these apps.

Below are some of the ones that stood out for me from some online research:

Google them with the word "app" after to find whether they are available through itunes, Google Play or other stores.

• MyFitnessPal - (free) Helps you lose weight by counting calories and keeping track of your physical activity levels. If you are a high-tech nerd anyways, and want to keep track of what you are eating to lose weight, this should work out well for you. 
• Gain Fitness – (free) Works as your digital personal trainer. Includes over 700 workout activities. You supply your availability and equipment and a customized workout will be built for you!
• Fooducate – (free) This app helps you make smarter food choices. You can'take it grocery shopping with you and scan'the barcode of the item to get the nutritional breakdown (such as information about food colourings, preservatives, additives).
• Sodium 101 – (free) This Canadian site has an app for iPhone and iPad that tells you how much sodium is in your food and tracks how much of it you eat. This app is especially suitable for those with high blood pressure.
• My Heart and Stroke Health app (free) Suitable for those who want to find out about their risk for heart disease and get recipes that are heart-friendly and low in sodium.
• iMapMyFitness (free) Helps you map out your workout routine for running, cycling and so on.
• Digifit  (free) Tracks your workout pace, distance, heart rate and calories burned.
• WebMD(free) This app offers advice about acute symptoms with up-to-date, reliable information. You can also access drug & treatment information, get first aid essentials, and check local health listings on the go.

For more information, check out the two articles I have gotten my info from:

http://www.techtreme.com/software/top-mobile-apps-for-health-editors-pick/

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/01/04/apps-health-fitness-chasing-cures.html