Senior participants and techno gadgets

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peachsmoothy
peachsmoothy Posts: 5
in Introduce Yourself
Have just joined and hope to find other seniors on this path as well. Also wanted to see if there are folks out there that have purchased any of the technical gadgets - scales, or BP cuffs and how please or displeased they are with the products. Was considering anything to make the journey easier.

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  • scottyg70
    scottyg70 Posts: 388 Member
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    I'm not a senior, but I do love the techno toys! There are a lot of good apps out there that you can use. Endomondo is a great one. It uses GPS to track your walks, runs, bike rides, etc..(you can choose from multiple sports) and gives you speed over ground, estimated calories etc.. The best part is if you pair it up with MFP, it will automatically log your exercise! That is the main one I use, but there are other's.

    As far as gadgets, there are also multiple. FitBit, Link armbands etc.. I use the Link and I like it. It's a bit pricey but it was a real eye opener to me as far as what I burned every day. I've seen lot of FitBit users on the message boards here and they all seem happy with it, too. The bottom line: whatever motivates you is a good tool.
  • trogalicious
    trogalicious Posts: 4,584 Member
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    best of luck.

    I'm far from a senior, but as far as gadgets that I can't live without... I'd recommend:
    an accurate food scale
    a digital scale to track your own weight
    and a heartrate monitor.

    Aside from that, I use my smartphone to track how far I run/walk.
    ETA: also, a good...well fitted pair of shoes... not techy, but needed.

    Hope you don't mind the youngin' chiming in.
  • seniorfaye
    seniorfaye Posts: 295 Member
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    Well, I'm an older person and I love the gadgets. I have the Fitbit and love it. Makes me want to get up and move. I have the app on my iphone and really enjoy being able to put my food in when I'm out and about. I have an HRM but really don't use it that much. Most of my exercise is walking..I'm not into running. I do have a stationary bike that I need to be riding more...I have a wii and like to work out with some of those games and walking sessions..

    If you need some friends I would be happy to be one... Have a great day!
  • peachsmoothy
    peachsmoothy Posts: 5
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    Thanks so much. I love the gadgets as well and thought about the scales they showed on line. That seems like a great way to stay on track. The Heart rate monitor is something I was looking at as well because at 68 that is something I have to think about. Need to check out the smart phone apps also. Thanks again for the input and good luck on your quest Youngin'
  • peachsmoothy
    peachsmoothy Posts: 5
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    Figure I can get Techno help from you youngsters. You have mentioned a number of items and apps that I had been thinking about. It is always good to get pointers from those that have used some of this stuff.. I was especially looking at the scales that entered directly to my computer. I tend to be lazy about recording things and thought that might be the answer. The blood pressure cuff at my age just seemed like a good practical item. As far as the apps go am glad to have the input on them. There are so many of them out there it is hard to decide.
    Thanks so much for your great evaluation. Good luck with your program as well.
  • peachsmoothy
    peachsmoothy Posts: 5
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    Sounds like you have a good program going for yourself and lots of useful gadgets. Sometime back I had considered wii and it sounds like you make good use of it. Perhaps that's something I should reconsider. I am wondering, if like you, I would not use the cuff on a regular basis. For the cost, I may want to reconsider that.

    Good luck on your journey. It doesn't look like you have a long way to go. You must be doing something right.
  • kingscrown
    kingscrown Posts: 615 Member
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    I find gadgets a big help to encourage me to exercise. I am competive and having a competion with myself really works. I have a polar HRM and I won't leave the gym until I've burned 500 calories. I have a fitbit that I wear everyday. I challenge myself to walk between 5000 and 10,000 steps a day. I have a scale that measures fat, muscle, water and bone. How accurate is it? Don't know, but I know what the numbers were when I started and I compare them to what they are now. The improvement is very encouraging.
  • scottyg70
    scottyg70 Posts: 388 Member
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    I haven't tried any of the scales. I actually go old school. I weigh myself every Friday morning and put it on the calender, logging it here also, of course. There were a couple reasons I was hesitant on getting one of these scales. The first was the price. They are pretty pricey and the accuracy of some digital scales can be questionable. The second was if you have a bad week, if you're logging it here or writing it on a calender or whatever, you can just skip it. Not so with these scales, you get the "+3" or whatever. I'd rather work a little harder for a week and wait than to see that "+ whatever" staring at you.

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