These 3 Technologies Changed My Life For The Better

I’m a huge consumer of information. I love reading, education, articles, conferences, and chats with various leaders/peers… you name it. My team used to joke about how I would come back from a conference with a “shiny object” mentality and try to implement something new and cool, like yesterday. When I decided it was time to get healthy I consumed a lot of information. Reading articles about diets like paleo and keto, asking team members for health advice, buying protein powder, etc. If you’re like me, you can do all of these things, but if you don’t have a tracking system in place it’s like it never even happened.

My good friend Chris Ronzio, of Trainual, wrote a post on Inc.com about how running a trail helped him with his business. Chris was inspired to run this trail and he set mini goals within his larger goal. At that time in my life I was struggling with exercise and feeling like I was trying everything. I was lost, tired, overwhelmed, and sick of #dadbod. Enter the 3 tech gadgets that changed my life.

My Fitness Pal (App)

This app was a huge first step for me. It’s like having an income and no budget. You don’t know if you’re overspending, what gives you the most bang for your buck, etc. I discovered My Fitness Pal for tracking food and hitting a goal (budget) of a certain number of calories per day. It’s easy to use, save foods, and create recipes. Once I knew what my “budget” was, I could visually see just how much that cocktail “cost” me. Since starting using this app about 6 months ago, it is one of the reasons I’ve lost almost 25 pounds and over 7% body fat. It’s well known that weight loss is 75% coming from what is done in the kitchen. I have spent a lot of time focusing on what I eat and attribute my great results to the visibility that My Fitness Pal provides me.

Fit Plan (App)

I was not ever a gym person, honestly, I barely knew my way around a basketball court. I’m exaggerating a bit, but I didn’t have a gym education and I was intimidated by all the crazy exercises. I would walk into the Village Club, where I’m a member in Scottsdale, Arizona, and stare at all these machines. I would go down the line of these impressive-looking but intimidating machines and based on the minimal instructions on them I would attempt to do what I thought was each machine exercise. I more than likely gave the other members something to laugh about with their friends and a few times felt pain that I shouldn’t have if I had done it properly.

I knew that for me to hit my goals of reducing my body fat I had to invest the time in strength training, but I didn’t want to hurt myself. I also needed a program that inspired me, was easy to use, and different each time, so I didn’t get bored. I did a lot of research and came across an amazing app called Fit Plan. I downloaded Fit Plan which gives me an awesome exercise plan and how I can avoid doing it wrong and looking like an idiot in the gym. I have had a few issues with this app after I became a premium member and their customer service has been very helpful and responsive. I suggest you give their free version a shot to see if it can help you take your strength training to the next level.

Apple Watch (Gadget)

For those that know me, know that if Apple comes out with a product I am buying it. I really hope they don’t come out with a smart car one day or else my wife will kill me. Ha ha! When Apple came out with their watch, I did hold back and waited till the 2nd series came out. Now that I have a purpose in the gym, how do I know how well I’m doing and how can I continue to improve and not just lose weight, but get truly fit? The Apple watch has activity rings and it’s safe to say I’m obsessed with beating my streak. It reminds me to exercise and move and to stand up and burn calories. I turn off notifications so I don’t spend precious gym time reading my work email or replying to texts that really can wait an hour.

Starting this new year healthier than I have ever been has motivated me to share with you the steps that I used to help me get to this place. Starting with awareness with food tracking, then adding exercise, then keeping it all consistent; that’s what worked for me and I hope this helps you too!

I’d love to hear from you and what you’re doing to get healthy this year!