TECHNOLOGY &
FITNESS
WLM
| health
by Dylan N. Milam, DC, DACBSP, CSCS
W
ith the New Year
approaching fast most
of us are planning new
resolutions. The most
common resolution is related to weight
loss, exercise and being healthy. From
apps that help you track your steps and
caloric intake, to websites with communities
that offer virtual support, the landscape of
health and wellness has changed with the
continued evolution of technology. Here are
a few examples of fitness and technology
that may be worth a try this upcoming year.
Integration Tools - Offline and online
integration tools are similar to apps on
your phone that track your mileage (as
long as you’re carrying your phone!),
FitBit developed products and services
that bridge offline and online tools. I
have been using a FitBit for the past few
months. FitBit is a great tool because it not
only has the website element to track food,
exercise, sleep, water intake, etc., but you
can also get the FitBit trackers. These are
little devices that track steps taken, distance
walked, calories burned and the number
of flights of stairs. The best part is all of
the information automatically syncs via my
phone and is uploaded to my FitBit account.
The calorie intake program that FitBit
has created is tailored to each individual’s
goals, so you can lose weight at the pace
that you want. My favorite feature is the
sleep tracker which detects your movement
at night and gives you a summary of
your night sleep and shows periods of
restlessness. There are many other options
on the market that do similar tracking of
daily activities.
Online Support/Communities – One of the
most common online health and wellness
communities I’ve heard of is Spark People.
You can connect with any of millions of
registered users for advice and support.
It’s not the only inspirational or motivational
website when it comes to weight loss.
There are many formal and informal
healthy lifestyle communities online and a
quick Google search will provide millions
of results. If you’re interested, try using
more descriptive phrases about the type of
community you’d like to join to help narrow
your results, like running or biking clubs.
Online Programs – In addition to the
online community support, many health
related websites offer programs to follow.
Individuals or teams can decide to track
activity minutes, weight or a combination
of both. By building a team structure,
the accountability and support becomes a
natural offering of the program and can be
helpful for achieving goals.
downloaded to a device of your choice and
used to help with tracking calories. Many
of these are free to download, but some
of the more comprehensive apps will cost
a small fee. Most of these have a large
database of foods, but also can be added to
if needed.
In thinking about apps, online communities
and programs, consider how much
easier this makes it to keep track of food
consumption and calories burned. These
online tools transform the data inputted for
your review and understanding. These
technologies are evolving everyday and
make it easier for us to track and modify
our lifestyles.
Food Tracking Apps –There are
many calorie-tracking apps that can be
Dr. Dylan N. Milam,
Chiropractic
Provider
for
University
of
Wyoming Intercollegiate
Athletics, was born
and raised in Laramie,
Wyoming and graduated
with a degree in Exercise
and Sports Science
from the University of Wyoming. Following
undergraduate studies Dr. Milam attended Western
States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon
and earned his Doctor of Chiropractic degree.
After graduating, he practiced in Portland for two
years before returning to Laramie and opening a
practice. Dr. Milam’s clinical focus, in addition to
disorders of the spine and pelvis, is on conservative
management of cumulative trauma disorders,
sports medicine and functional progressive
rehabilitation. Dr. Milam is a Certified Strength
& Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) through the
National Strength and Conditioning Association.
He is a Diplomate Chiropractic Sports Physician
through the American Chiropractic Board of
Sports Physicians. (ACBSP), which consists of
extra training in prevention, diagnosis and treatment
of sports injuries.
www.wyolifestyle.com
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