I haven't jumped into the Fit-Bit craze as I view it as just-one-more-thing I would have to remember to wear and already feel encumbered by my smart phone (why do they keep getting bigger?!?!?), but I did, nonetheless, want to track my daily steps having recently embarked on a 'ramp-up' of my exercise routine.
Enter a nifty (does anyone say 'nifty' anymore? Probably not.) little app:
Pedometer Step Counter.
There are many step counting apps out there and I've used a couple of others that worked well but here are the things I am liking currently about this app:
Accuracy. It seems more accurate to my steps than other apps I've used.
Goal-Setting Ease. It's very simple to change the goal you have and it even suggests a new goal if I meet my goal early.
Works with my Phone. My phone is almost always in my pocket anyway, so no extra device is needed.
Informative Chart. There is a nice chart/report that I can view that easily will give me distance info, time, etc. which I find helpful for motivation.
Cuteness. While this isn't really a big factor for me, I do like the bright pink feet icon that makes it easy to turn on in the morning (something I sometimes forget to do) and there are cute little celebratory images that pop up when I hit my goal or set a new record.
The only 'down' side I have found thus far is that I do have to remember to turn it on or off (can save battery by pausing it, but then have to remember to un-pause it), but to complain about that seems just silly. It's a nice little app, is free and accomplishes its purpose.
Cronometer.
For at least a year or more I've been wanting to track my nutrient intake. I don't want to just have the macros, i.e. fats, carbs, protein, I want the MICROs. There are several nutrients that I need to focus on as I age that correlate directly to bone health, avoidance of sarcopenia (muscle loss with aging) and since we have it beat into our heads that we need to watch protein, I want this stat to arm myself on my annual visit to my (non-plant-based) physician, and the cronometer app reports not only protein, but breaks it out by amino acid. Cool.
Like most apps, cronometer.com has a free version and a premium one. I am getting all I need with their free version. I can put in my foods individually and can also upload brands or specific items by photographing the QR code (you know, that square code that looks like a maze from a kids' puzzle book). It can be a bit time-consuming, especially when first starting out, but it is very user friendly, doesn't have a lot of quirks and I now discipline myself into tracking my food at least 4 days a week. Having to put in each individual item can be a bit of a hassle, but it is worthwhile and can uncover some nutritional deficiencies, and confer a potential added benefit of being really accountable for what is eaten in a day, both in terms of not over-eating and in working to get enough of the nutrients we really do need.
I haven't used the cronometer app for weight-loss but since calories consumed is shown prominently, I do glance at that, and have actually lost some weight. (I think that is more a factor of me working to really clean up my diet, avoid all processed foods and work to get some key cruciferous foods in daily---see future blog post coming soon).
I also like that I can manually change the nutrient target values (don't assume that the pre-set ones are right for you!), raising or lowering them to tailor what my needs are (or what the latest research is showing). Here is a screen shot from a day this week:
Stitcher.com I listen to at least one, usually more, podcasts per day and have found Stitcher to be a mostly reliable app. (I occasionally find it slow to update one or two of my favorite podcasts, but it seems to be the same podcasts so that could be a problem with the way they are formatted or uploaded).
I like that I can go forward or backward in 30 second increments to avoid some ads, (sorry Rich Roll! I do listen occasionally to the ads!), or to get a repeat on a particularly compelling piece of information.
I am amazed at the number of plant-based pod-casts that are available now and the number of really good self-improvement ones as well. I'll do a future blog post with my favorites, but here are two newer podcasts I am really enjoying:
PlantProof. Plant proof is put out by Simon Hill and he's set up a nice web-site you can find here: https://plantproof.com/ What I really like about Simon (besides his lovely accent) is that he works to have EVIDENCE-BASED information on his podcast. There are far too many conflicting ideas these days and it is easy to get lost in the myriad of 'experts' that are spewing often self-serving information. I also like the way Simon summarizes and highlights the key points as the pod-cast is going on, which helps me retain the information. Check out episode 17 for a very indepth discussion of gut health as Simon interview Dr. William Bulsiewicz.
Vegains. It is impossible not to smile as I listen to Ferdinand Beck's cheery voice. I find his German accent as charming as I do his infectious personality. He has an active youtube channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC_Cn4fuD9s I like the inspiration to do some weight-training I get from Vegains and his partner has a nice food-oriented youtube channel as well....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUvP2ta-PU Scorpion Mind.
(Just in case someone reading this has not ever listened to Rich Roll's podcast, I need to mention it here. By far my favorite podcast of any type, Rich goes the distance ---pun intended---and continues to put up a quality product with highly relevant guests and topics. I've been listening since he started and his evolution is fascinating and inspiring. www.richroll.com. Read Finding Ultra if you haven't read his story.)
Hope this helps. To your health!
Sue in Ohio
I like that I can go forward or backward in 30 second increments to avoid some ads, (sorry Rich Roll! I do listen occasionally to the ads!), or to get a repeat on a particularly compelling piece of information.
I am amazed at the number of plant-based pod-casts that are available now and the number of really good self-improvement ones as well. I'll do a future blog post with my favorites, but here are two newer podcasts I am really enjoying:
PlantProof. Plant proof is put out by Simon Hill and he's set up a nice web-site you can find here: https://plantproof.com/ What I really like about Simon (besides his lovely accent) is that he works to have EVIDENCE-BASED information on his podcast. There are far too many conflicting ideas these days and it is easy to get lost in the myriad of 'experts' that are spewing often self-serving information. I also like the way Simon summarizes and highlights the key points as the pod-cast is going on, which helps me retain the information. Check out episode 17 for a very indepth discussion of gut health as Simon interview Dr. William Bulsiewicz.
Vegains. It is impossible not to smile as I listen to Ferdinand Beck's cheery voice. I find his German accent as charming as I do his infectious personality. He has an active youtube channel as well. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tC_Cn4fuD9s I like the inspiration to do some weight-training I get from Vegains and his partner has a nice food-oriented youtube channel as well....https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCUvP2ta-PU Scorpion Mind.
(Just in case someone reading this has not ever listened to Rich Roll's podcast, I need to mention it here. By far my favorite podcast of any type, Rich goes the distance ---pun intended---and continues to put up a quality product with highly relevant guests and topics. I've been listening since he started and his evolution is fascinating and inspiring. www.richroll.com. Read Finding Ultra if you haven't read his story.)
Hope this helps. To your health!
Sue in Ohio
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