It’s always in your pocket, so it’s time to use your phone to your advantage
WORDS: JENNY ROWE. PHOTOS: GETTY, SHUTTERSTOCK. IF YOU HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH, SEE YOUR GP
Addicted to your device? It may not be a bad thing. Keeping tabs on your health is tough when you’re busy living your life, but if you have your phone with you every step of the way, it can do a lot of the hard work for you.
Our phones are capable of monitoring and tracking potential symptoms, and can even alert us when something goes wrong. Plus, apps now provide easy access to huge databases of health information. Here’s how your phone could help you stay healthy – and even save your life.
1 Stop you slowing down
Yes, your device can track your 10,000 daily steps, but what’s next? In the Apple Health app you can access other walking metrics, such as your average pace.
Walking requires strength, fitness and coordination. If any of these decline, you might see your speed suffer. Check to see if yours have changed in the past year.
2 Save your life
Already got your partner saved as your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact in your phone? Go one step further and set up your Medical ID, pre-installed on Apple and Android phones. This allows medical details and contacts to be accessed even when your phone is locked.
3 Predict fall risk
The iPhone Health app also measures ‘double support time’, which is the percentage of time walking in which both feet are on the ground; the lower the value, the better. ‘It’s related to an individual’s fear of falling, which could increase after a period of inactivity or injury,’ says coach Mitch Raynsford at P3rform. ‘If this value is rising, try some simple balance exercises a few times a week.’ You can also ask your iPhone to send you a notification if it detects you’re at an elevated risk of falling within the next year.
4 Calorie count with ease
Tried and failed to use MyFitnessPal (free, Apple & Android) in the past? This popular diet app is now cleverer than ever. It will automatically input calorie and macronutrient totals when a product barcode is scanned using your phone’s camera. ‘You can even add recipes of favourite dishes to avoid the faff of entering each ingredient every time you eat it,’ says Mitch.
5 Check your vitals
The Google Fit app (free, Apple & Android) can detect your heart rate and respiratory rate using your phone camera – useful in a crisis.
✱ Most adults have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100bpm. Too much caffeine, dehydration, inactivity and stress could make it creep higher.
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