This weekend I found myself reflecting on a few of the tools I’ve been using.  Let’s start with the pedometer.  I’ve really enjoyed using it.  To date, this is what I’ve learned:

  1. That my activities of daily living (everything I do throughout  the day minus walking/exercise) does not amount to 10000 steps.
  2. A moderate paced walk for 1 hour approximately equals 10000 steps.
  3. The pedometer  has acted as an inexpensive motivator , every time I looked down and saw  my step count I increased my activity level.

In all the pedometer has been a good investment for me.

Next, I became aware of the DirectLife Philps Activity Monitor in a TED video and also received a comment in one of my posts regarding the device. This device is a  waterproof accelerometer  that you wear all day to monitor your  activity.  At the end of the day you plug the device into your computer and access your personal direct life website. Here you can see how active you were during your day and compare this to your goals.  You are also provided with personal coaching via the website. Sounds great, sign me up so I can test it, only one problem, not yet available in Canada.

I wonder, though, if this device will have the option of being iPhone enabled?  It would seem like the next logical step to marry the this kind of monitor with the smart phone. Since applications on the  smart phone can already detect movement,  and most people carry a phone , having an application on the phone would eliminate the step of connecting at the end of the night to access your personal website.  Rather, have the device continually feed your personal (and secure) website throughout the day and receive instantaneous message, similar to the Martha Stewart app, which pushes forward everyday what the recipe of the day is.  Although I realize its not going to be waterproof  most of our days are spent on dry land.

Next, I have been testing the Heart and Stroke Healthy Weight plan that I wrote about previously.  I completed week one and am almost at the end of week two.  Here are my initial thoughts.  The site is easy to follow and full of good information.  I  hope in time the paper based food and activity log will be replaced with an easy and quick  application that can feed the information directly into the system.  This in turn will provide detailed information that can then be analyzed  and  goals can be more specific given the input.  Currently,  you keep a food and activity log and then answer very general questions about what you recorded such as number of servings .  It would be a smart match to utilize other technologies to facilitate  detailed input and output quickly, which is missing in this instance. I will continue to plug away with the program as I still feel it offers value and continue to provide you my thoughts on it as I do.  I am hoping that this too will one day become an iPhone-like app.

Cheers!  Here’s to the happy couple – Technology and Health.

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