Tech-tacular Tools: Using technology for weight loss

By Betty Murray

Weight loss is a journey, no matter who you are or your current fitness level. Weight loss requires a commitment to change habits and lifestyle. This is easily overwhelming to many people, but there are a variety of tools at our disposal to make this journey a little bit simpler and maybe even more enjoyable.

These are some of my favorite weight loss and fitness apps to keep you motivated while logging calorie output and food intake. Use these tools to set goals for your fitness journey and track changes and accomplishments.

5 Tools to Track Your Fitness Journey

1. MyFitnessPal – This is one a popular tool that can be accessed on the web or a smartphone app available for iPhone and Android. Use MyFitnessPal to track weight and goal by logging exercise and foods you eat. The app also has a handy barcode scanner that allows you to get nutrition information on the foods you eat.
2. Lose It! – Lose It! is an app that not only tracks workouts, but allows you to track your weight loss goals by budgeting daily calories and logging calories in (eating) and calories out (exercise). Additional features of this app include recipes for meals that include nutritional information and calories.  Share your progress with friends on social media, and find support in the community forum. According to the Lose It! website, the average Lose It! user loses 12.3 pounds with the help of the app. Lose It! is available on Android, iPhone, Nook, Kindle, and the Web.
3. 7 Minute Workout – When you’re short on time but need to get a workout in, this app is just right. With 36 exercises and 13 predesigned workouts as well as a feature that allows you to customize your own seven-minute workout. The app gives both audio and visual instruction and all you need for a good workout is a floor, a wall and a chair. 7 Minute Workout is available for iPhone and Android.
4. MapMyFitness – Choose from more than 600 exercises in the MapMyFitness app. Design your own route or pick a pre-planned interactive route using the GPS on your smartphone. MapMyFitness provides distance, time, pace, calories burned and other important stats for virtually any outdoor workout. Compare your workout with the MayMyFitness community of 20 million users. This app also syncs with Fitbit, Nike+ and other fitness gadgets. Available for iPhone.
5. Sleep Cycle – Sleep is an important part of your fitness journey. If you aren’t getting enough rest, you will have a much harder time reaching your goals. Sleep Cycle follows movements while you’re in bed to track sleep patterns. Set your alarm with Sleep Cycle and it will identify the time when you are sleeping the lightest to gradually wake you up with soothing music. Sleep Cycle provides detailed graphs and stats of your sleep patterns. Have a stressful day? Drink coffee? Get in a good workout? Add notes about your day so you can understand the relationship between your daily activities and sleep patterns. Sleep Cycle is available for iPhone.

Your fitness journey will be frustrating if you don’t have the proper tools to track your progress. These apps make it fun and easy to track daily progress and stay motivated to reach your goals.  There is no one-fits-all solution. Pick a few different apps to try until you find the one that works best for you.

Betty Murray, CN, HHC, RYT is a Certified Nutritionist & Holistic Health Counselor, founder of the Dallas-based integrative medical center, Wellness and founder of the Metabolic Blueprint wellness program. Betty’s nutrition counseling practice specializes in metabolic and digestive disorders and weight loss resistance. A master of the biochemistry of the body, Betty teaches her clients how to utilize nutritional interventions to improve their health. Betty is a member of the Institute of Functional Medicine and the National Association of Nutrition Professionals.