Follow and join the conversation with #heartsmart, #AmericanHeartMonth and #heartmonth.
February is #AmericanHeartMonth and The American Heart Association (@American_Heart) recommends healthy eating, weight management, and physical activity to help prevent heart disease. It’s no secret that logging your food intake is a strategy that can help lead to weight loss. Experts have been telling us for years that the simple act of writing down what we eat each day can do wonders for our waistlines. However, who has the time or energy to keep a pen and pad with them to note what niblets pass between their lips? Fortunately, in 2016, there are apps a plenty that can help us easily track, not only our diets, but our weight and exercise too while on the run. Below is one of the top rated, most loved apps to help get these areas under control.
My Fitness Pal
People swear by MyFitnessPal (@MyFitnessPal) when it comes to easily logging meals and snacks. It has a huge database that makes it a cinch to find and record what you have eaten whether it be homemade, from a box, or an item on a restaurant menu. MFP also remembers foods and meals you have already logged and easily pulls them using their search feature. You can also create whole meals that can be logged with one click. For example, if your daily breakfast consists of coffee with cream, oatmeal and an apple, log this one time and the next day, with one click there it is at your fingertips. Not only does MFP track the calories you’ve consumed, but it also gives you a complete picture of your diet by providing nutritional information. If you are high in sugar one day MFP gives you an instant reminder as to how much sugar you should be consuming.
Water, Weight, and Exercise
In addition to tracking your food MFP will also keep you abreast of your water intake, your weight, and the amount of exercise in which you partake. Water intake is added simply in a few clicks by scrolling through a choice menu. Weight is tracked much the same and line graphs are provided to show your progress. As for exercise, MFP has it’s own database of activities and also the ability to link to your favorite activity tracker whether it be Jawbone (@Jawbone), Fitbit (@fitbit) or a host of others. Also, when you log an activity, your calorie allotment is automatically adjusted to account for any extra nourishment you may need after that intense workout.
Community
Finally, MFP takes into account our need for community to be successful. MFP boasts a large, supportive online community of users who are available in numerous forums to help keep you motivated. Members provide advice, recipes, success stories, encouragement, answers to questions and much more. There is also a blog to follow which has daily posts to help inform your healthy lifestyle.
So what are you waiting for? Join MyFitnessPal and start your journey on the road to #hearthealth today!
