Although many are quick to blame technology for the recent increase in obesity, citing the amount of time people spend in front of computer screens and television as a major factor, the truth is that technology can either hurt or help people in their quests for fitness, depending on how they use it.
There are a wide variety of apps and wearable technology available to those looking to implement healthier habits. Users can track their running statistics, such as distance and time taken, track their calories and even monitor vital statistics such as heart rate. As useful as this technology may be, there is still one major roadblock to those looking to get healthier: motivation.
It is easy to promise yourself that you are going to change your habits, but it is another thing entirely to actually do so. Just think about the number of New Year’s resolutions that get broken every year. Luckily, there is not an application available that addresses the issue of how to form and maintain healthy habits.
The app, produced by Filament Labs, is called HealthSpark. It works by letting users build off of their existing habits, be that they are healthy or not, by pairing small, healthy tasks with users’ existing ones. This way, users of the app cannot forget about their new health goals, and do not feel overwhelmed trying to figure out where they should begin. Additionally, the small goals are easily accomplished, alleviating the fear of failure that many have when starting to change their ways.
The app is available in the iTunes app store and will soon be available for Android as well. In addition, the app has recently been featured in the health insurance company Aetna’s new website, CarePass, which seeks to collect apps that can increase its customers’ health. By using apps like HealthSpark or MapMyRun, or going one step further and buying a pedometer or fitness band, people can utilize technology to become healthier and increase their quality of life.
