Jay-Z used the metaphor of the music you habitually listen to as the soundtrack to your life in an interview a while ago and I and liked the idea. Health plays a big part in the quality of life and it got me thinking, what is the soundtrack or “Apptrack” (to coin a phrase) of my health life. I mean apps that not only chart the journey of my health but add to my ability to improve my health daily. They are indispensable to my wellbeing, progress, and quality of life. These are my top 3 at the moment, I hope they add value to your healthy lifestyle. What are your top 3 apps and why? Post them in the comments below and if you are in a sharing mood microblog about them with the #Apptrackhealthy and post the link in the comment of this article.
Oura
The Oura app is complementary to the Oura ring currently the best all-round sleep measuring and optimising tool with Heart Rate Variability (HRV). Independently reviewed by the Stanford Research Institute on a number of useful measures it is an elegant wearable for any lifestyle.
I particularly like the app for the sleep break down information it gives and the night time Heart Rate Variability (HRV) score it gives me the following morning. Every morning on waking I check in with myself on a scale of 1-10 on how I feel and then check the app for my Deep sleep, REM sleep and HRV scores. That way I see what’s working what’s not and know what to improve to get better sleep. For extra help, I use the trends section in the app and from time to time go to Oura’s cloud-based site to get more tools to dig into the data.
IamYiam
IamYiam is a personalised preventative health platform delivering individual health plans using a variety of tools including genetics, big data, artificial intelligence, coaching and more. I like the app’s approach because you are not a passive observer when using the app unless you choose to be. It has tailored recommendations, interactive AI helping you personalise your health journey and reading material specific to you. I check in once a week with the community blog to keep up to date and get health guidance during the week as I need it.
Viome
Viome does microbiome testing and offers you tools to optimise your gut microbiota. The app is great for staying on track with the kinds of food that help or hinder your health based on the feedback from your test, Viome also provides supplement recommendations to help your gut make adjustments. Using the Viome app alongside my Oura ring helps me cover my focus on sleep from multiple angles.You may have noticed sleep is a repeating theme in this post, the Global Wellness Summit trends list notes a more nuanced focus on circadian rhythm health than on sleep per se. As night time Heart Rate Variability readings give clues to how restorative sleep has been, now is a good time to use the HRV measurement to make sure you are getting the quality of sleep that supports you being effective in these uncertain times, you really want to build resilience!
Are you stressed at being sedentary and home-bound or just wanting something extra to weather the current COVID-19 storm? Let’s have a conversation to explore how HRV testing might fit into your lifestyle, company or team. To get started request your complementary Resilience Checklist here