Using Your Smartphone to Help You Stay Healthy
This post may contain affiliate links, view our disclosure policy for details.
Disclosure: This post brought to you as part of the U.S. Cellular Better Moments Brigade. All opinions are my own.
Did you know that February is American Heart month? As I’m getting older (OK, I’m not THAT old – still in my early 30’s!) I’m more and more concerned about staying healthy – for my sake and for my children’s! I’ve really relied on technology and my mobile device to help me keep on track with staying healthy which sets a great example for my kids! I’m not talking counting calories or anything like that, but remembering to exercise and staying on track with doctor appointments is effortless since I can set reminders for myself!
Frequently I set my calendar on my Samsung Galaxy 5 to remind me of not just doctor appointments but a daily alarm for exercising because to be honest, by the end of the night, I’ve forgotten already! (convenient I know!) Staying healthy not only helps to reduce your need to visit the doctor but saves you money too! It’s a win win! When I was pregnant with my last baby a few months ago I was diagnosed with gestational diabetes. At first it was just totally overwhelming and the first day or two I was terrified to eat the wrong thing but I downloaded a carb counting app and had constant access through my phone to low carb meal planning ideas which relieved so much stress! It was wonderful to have all of that info right at my fingertips instead of trying to write things down in a little notebook that I had to take with me everywhere I went! I also had a lot of complications the last month or so of my pregnancy so I had my doctor’s phone number on speed dial and was able to call the OB floor within seconds if I needed to make a trip to the hospital.
Another thing I love having my smartphone handy for is to help me research illnesses. I have always been fascinated with research in the medical world so I am frequently researching a sickness someone in my family might have or reading medical journals for new clinical trials out there. Phones can really play a vital role in getting medical attention within one hour of cardiac symptoms, and encouraging you to see the doctor for any other host of issues. Not to mention it’s great to store your personal medical information in so that it can be accessed in the case of an emergency.
Another area of medicine and smartphones that I haven’t tried yet but would be interested in hearing about your experience on is telemedicine. Being able to access trained medical professionals and get prescriptions even by using an online physician would be wonderful for our family who lives in the middle of nowhere and can find difficulty in accessing timely appointments. It of course is NOT meant to replace your in-person doctor visits but can be great to help with minor ailments (because we all know those start on the weekends when your doctor office isn’t open!!). Having a reliable wireless network like my 4G LTE network is great! Your primary care physician may even have an existing relationship with a telemedicine provider so make sure to ask as well as check with your insurance! Interested in learning more about telemedicine? Do your research on third party medical rating service websites like vitals.com and NCQA.org.
AND of course don’t forget that the FREE parent/child cell phone agreement is STILL available here!
