We have been living in a world with COVID-19 for over two years now. During this time, priorities have shifted and the nature of work we once knew has changed.
Where face-to-face clients, colleague meetings, and business travel used to be the norm, video conferencing apps like Zoom and Microsoft Teams are the new way we communicate.
For most of us, our smartphones have become the centre of our attention – a control hub for anything we need.
So there should not be things we didn’t know our smartphones could do, right?
Wrong. There are so many ways you could use your smartphone to achieve your health goals while being prepared and keeping yourself safe.
1. Using your phone as a weekly meal planner
It’s no question that logging the calories you have consumed can be a tedious and often frustrating task especially when it comes to a home cooked meal.
From keeping track of the ingredients you use, to frantically rummaging through plastic wrappers to check how many calories were in the carrots you just consumed.
What is our hack of the day to stop quitting your diets out of frustration over tedious tasks like these?
Use your smartphone’s camera to take a picture of what you’re eating, and nutritional apps like My Fitness Pal will allow you to upload those pictures and give you the nutritional values and calories you are consuming in your food journal.
Need more ingredients for your meal prep? SAFRA members enjoy $12 off any Fair Price Online order with a minimum spending of $59. Click here for more information.
2. Get that good night’s sleep
It is true that phones can be the source of distraction that keeps us up all night and starts an unhealthy sleep pattern. But what happens when you flip that phone upside down and let it help you get better sleep instead?
A multitude of apps offer motion tracking, sound recording, and a smart alarm. Simply plug your phone in and relax while these apps help you detect and record your sleep talking, snoring, or other sleep disturbances so you can review them in the morning and have a better understanding of why you may be having sleep issues.
3. Emergencies
Smartphones can very often act as medical IDs. For example, some smartphones let you list down your medical conditions, allergies, blood type, and emergency contacts to create a mobile medical ID. In case of an emergency, physicians and emergency personnel can access your information through your phone’s emergency button, even if it’s locked, to ensure you get timely medical intervention.
Additionally, in a situation where you are in need of an ambulance, many smartphones have a built-in SOS system. Depending on the phone you have, rapidly pressing the power key three times on an Android starts a series of actions; capturing a photo, an audio clip, and your Google Maps location to send to any contact you’ve instructed it to. Some smart phones also make use of voice activation, allowing you to simply call out to your phone for help.
4. Tracking your fitness
You might think you need a fancy wristband to track your fitness goals and accomplishments, but depending on your goals, you may not even need one at all. Most smartphones are equipped with motion sensors that measure the steps you take, the distance travelled and the elevation of the terrain you’re on. You can check your weekly, monthly, or even yearly progress with the in-built fitness tracking health app on your phone without any setup needed as well.
Want to hit the gym? From 1-7 July, the EnergyOne Gym doors are open to all SAF NSmen for free! Click here to find out more.
Even better, from 1 July to 30 September 2022, receive up to 50% Added Value when you use NS55 *credits to sign up for an EnergyOne gym membership:
(Silver Membership) New Sign Ups – 33% Added Value: Sign up 9 months FREE 3 months
(Term Membership) New Sign Ups – 50% Added Value: Sign up 6 months FREE 3 months
Silver Renewal – 33% added Value: Renew 9 months FREE 3 months
*Minimum usage of $50 credits
