An App a Day
By Bryan Gill
A little over a month ago, I had two seemingly unrelated epiphanies: one — I am so undisciplined when it comes to eating right and working out regularly and two — I needed a smart phone. One of the first apps I downloaded was a calorie counter. I picked MyFitnessPal but there are other options (see listing below).
“Maybe this will help,” I thought. “If not, then at least it gives me something else to play with on my phone.”
I typed in my height and weight and how active my lifestyle was, and then it asked me for my goals. I didn’t have to think hard about this one. I wanted to lose 20 pounds. The app then gave me a target calorie count of 1,500 each day. I started inputting what I ate for each meal. In an instant, I was well over 1,500 for the day and it was only lunchtime. In addition to inputting my meals, I could input my exercise. So I went for a walk with my dog. I came back and input my 30-minute walk and presto — I got back some of the calories I’d eaten.
Day two was much better than the first. I knew how many calories a bowl of cereal and a turkey sandwich contained and that if I wanted a decent dinner that consisted of more than a sugar packet, I’d better save some calories. I walked again that afternoon and finished the day below my 1,500 goal. I’ve logged in now for 40 days straight and lost 10 pounds.
Knowing how many calories were in what I ate was half the battle. I now actually enjoy logging my meals and exercise each day. Thanks to the convenience of an app, I’ve developed a healthier lifestyle rather than failing at a crash diet or weight loss scheme.
EDITOR’S NOTE — Bryan Gill, 29, is the Baptist campus minister at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis. An Alabama native, Bryan grew up in Eufaula and was involved in Alabama Baptist church life until he moved to Memphis in 2009. He is a graduate of Auburn University and Samford University’s Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham.
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Farmers markets are good for rural communities. They bring farmers and consumers together to create a stronger local economy; provide consumers with fresh, nutritious, affordable local food; and create opportunities for family farmers and ranchers, especially beginners, to diversify their operations and sell what they produce.
Farmers markets continue to expand across the nation. This year more than 1,000 new farmers markets were created, according to the USDA’s 2011 National Farmers Market Directory, which reports 7,175 farmers markets in the United States.
To find a farmers market near you, visit http://search.ams.usda.gov/farmersmarkets.
If you don’t have a farmers market nearby, help create one in your community. For more information, call the Farm Bill Helpline at 402-687-2100 or check out the Farmers Market Promotion Program (FMPP) at http://www.ams.usda.gov/fmpp.
FMPP grants help market farmers, market gardeners and rural communities recoup some of the costs of establishing a farmers market.
— Center for Rural Affairs, Lyons, Neb.
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“A common mistake people make when trying to live better or turn their life around is to set goals that are either unobtainable or simply too long term, and so frustration can easily set in. Rather than set a goal to lose 50 pounds, most people would be more successful if they chose to lose 10 pounds five different times.”
Dr. Scott Morris
Founder of the Church Health Center, Memphis, Tenn.
Author of “40 Days to Better Living: Optimal Health”
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Health tip for the grocery store
Do as much shopping around the walls of the grocery store as you can. That’s where most of the whole foods are placed.
Rondie Wilks
Owner of Living Fit: Body, Mind, & Spirit
www.livingfitonline.com
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ABC News rated the top five fitness apps for Smartphones as:
- Lose It! (iPhone, iPod Touch, iPad, coming soon to Android)
- CardioTrainer (Android)
- IMapMy (Apple products, Android phones and BlackBerrys)
- Daily Burn (iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch)
- Fooducate (iPhone)
Tell us what app you use and why. Share your success stories with us.
E-mail jrash@thealabamabaptist.org or post it on our Facebook page.
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