Use Fun Technology to Fight Childhood Obesity
Technology makes our lives easier. It makes it possible to have a face to face conversation with someone thousands of miles away. It helps doctors diagnose. It entertains us too. All of this amazing technology can also help fight obesity. Here are a few fun and interesting technologies to help fight obesity.
Body fat scales. Body fat scales have been around for quite some time. However, they’re more accurate now. You can literally stand on your bathroom scale and know your body fat percentage. This is important. As a person adds activity to their life they may not lose weight. They may gain muscle instead. On a regular scale this can be disheartening. However, with a body fat scale you can tell if you’re making progress. If your body fat percentage is decreasing, you’re getting healthier.
Fitness gadgets. There are now more fitness gadgets on the market than ever before. These gadgets can tell you your heart rate. They can track your steps throughout the day. They can even tell you if you’re getting quality sleep. Many of these fitness tools also integrate with software. You can use this software to track your progress over time.
For example, one fitness gadget, the FitBit, tracks your steps for the day. When you log onto the website you can then enter what you’ve eaten that day. The FitBit then reports how many calories you’ve consumed. It also tells you how many calories you’ve burned. The goal? To burn more than you consume.
The iPod/iPad also offers a number of calorie and activity tracking tools. You can sit down at a restaurant. Open your application. Make menu choices based on nutrition information provided by the application.
Games. Another new recent technology are the video games available. You can now exercise while you play with your friends and family. The Wii Fit has made quite an impact.
The internet. Finally, there are some truly amazing websites available. There are online support groups to support weight loss. There are information based websites to help guide diet and lifestyle decisions. There are also membership sites and social networking sites to motivate weight loss.
Some of these sites integrate with mainstream social networking. The result? Powerful motivation! You can now make your progress public. For any that is incredibly motivating. There’s nothing better than being cheered on by hundreds of your online friends and family.
We haven’t even discussed some of the recent advances in the medical field. A decade ago gastric bypass and the Lap Band didn’t exist. These two surgeries have changed people’s lives.
Technology will continue to evolve. As obesity continues to grow we can expect more technology devoted to helping combat it. If you’re struggling with obesity, embrace technology to help you get healthy.