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5 Ways to Use Technology to Improve Total Health

As technology advances quickly, it can feel like our real-world lives are playing catch-up. Consequently, the digital world can seem at odds with our daily lives. However, this need not be so. The secret is to use technology as a tool that serves us instead of becoming inundated and getting lost in the noise. Today’s ALFE Listicle is designed to help you do just that in the area of daily healthcare. Below, we highlight some ways you can use technology to help you put your health first and the app that can help you do better. Let’s begin.

01. Use Wearable Tech to Get You Moving in 10-minute Steps at a Time

Whenever we think of getting fit and healthy, we think of gyms and lengthy workouts. Thankfully, going to the gym is not the only way to get fit, and effective workouts do not have to take a long time.

There are a lot of studies (and frankly real-life examples) that indicate shorter workouts can be better for many of us, for just as many reasons. For starters, there is the law of diminishing returns. The longer a workout drags on, the greater the likelihood of becoming fatigued, sacrificing good form, growing bored, and just not maximising the benefits of the workout. Alternatively, if you can work out in shorter bursts like 3 sessions lasting 10 to 15 minutes each, you may see better results.

Short workouts (even when intense) are manageable. With shorter workouts, you mentally can see yourself completing a short workout. This ‘bare minimum’ approach is likely to work for some of us as we are at the end of the workout by the time we start tiring. Consequently, we are likely to leave the workout session feeling energised and not drained. Finally, these shorter workouts can be done more than once per day. Doing them at various intervals throughout the day can prove to be great for building consistency and setting the tone for an active lifestyle. Here is how technology can help you leverage shorter, effective workouts consistently to reap the benefits.

Both Google Play and the App Store have 7-minute workout apps you can choose from. Whatever your workout style or preference, there are options available.

02. Use Productivity Tech to Keep You Notified and Organised

Most of us can agree that a lot is happening personally, professionally, and even at the level of community and the world around us. Consequently, we have a lot to remember. Unfortunately, sometimes the more there is to get done, the greater the likelihood that some things will be left undone. This is where the notifications feature on our smartphones can prove to be particularly helpful.

Reminders in the form of notifications can go a long way in helping us stick to schedules and complete important tasks. Admittedly, most of us are introduced to notifications as prompts that we see on our phones from casual applications like social media platforms. As a result, many of us associate them with unwelcomed interruptions and distracting activities. However, when used properly, notifications are no longer distracting. Instead, they become important for keeping us on track.

To make notifications work for you, start by making a list of all the things you would like to get done. Importantly, larger goals, objectives, or achievements making the list can be broken down into smaller activities. The smallest unit of activities can then be attached to timed prompts. Then transfer your list to an app or wearable tech device to prompt you when it’s time to get your activities done.

A good way to use notifications to keep you healthy would be to time your meals so that you don’t skip them on account of being buried in work. You can also opt to remind yourself to drink water. In addition to the built-in alarm/notification feature on your phone, you can opt for apps that are dedicated to these sorts of reminders.

03. Use Dieting Apps to Clean Up and Balance Your Eating

Many of us know very little about what is actually in our food. Furthermore, when we think of how much to eat (portions), we are grossly underestimating how much we are consuming. Nutritional information can help put things into perspective.

Thankfully, there are apps in both Google Play and the App Stores that help provide you with nutritional advice regarding your favourite foods.

Other apps go beyond assessing the nutritional content of the food you are currently eating. Instead, they assess you and create a plan that can help you eat well without depriving yourself and get healthier. Of course, both kinds of apps can be used together as knowledge is power. As one app empowers you with knowledge, the other will help you convert that knowledge and craft a new way of eating that will continue to work for you over time.

04. Develop A Sleep/Rest Routine

Undoubtedly, activities like working out and taking steps to eat better are important to improving total health. However, it is also true that what you don’t do can be just as beneficial. Rest, including sufficient amounts of sleep, is important for all the actions taken during your waking hours to work. Importantly, sleeping is not the only way to rest. Simply taking breaks from work by doing activities that help you mentally and physically unwind is also critical to good overall health.

As far as rest is concerned, there are break apps for computers, phones, and other devices. These apps prompt you intermittently to take a break from work. For example, when an hour of non-stop work has taken place, you are notified that an hour has passed. You can choose to get away for a stretch or brisk walk during your much-needed break.

05. Invest in Mental Health

Mental and emotional wellness is just as important as one’s physical health. Our mental state affects our behaviours and the habits we form. It also affects our emotions and how we feel about ourselves and our lives. Thankfully, there are apps where you can book therapy sessions with your therapist of choice or keep a mental health journal by noting your feelings based on carefully curated prompts.

Of course, both options can be used together. Digital journals from your device app store can help you make note of what you are feeling, when, and perhaps why. On the other hand, therapists can help equip you with the tools and language to manage your emotions and any mental health challenges. There are also stress-reduction apps that prompt you intermittently throughout the day to stop what you’re doing, pause,a nd take the time to destress and recalibrate a bit.

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