Driver Lifestyles

Health Apps

4 Smartphone Apps to Boost Your Health (and Your Profit)

By Sean M. Lyden - Staff Writer
Posted Feb 6th 2018 10:34AM

As an expedite driver or owner-operator, you make more money the more miles and loads you run. And that’s why adopting healthy habits is so important. You can’t build a sustainable and profitable career in this business when you’re having to battle chronic or emerging health issues that put you on the sidelines.

But where can you find the time and energy to invest in your health when you feel exhausted, running your truck—and your body—hard for weeks at a time? That’s where smartphone apps can help.

Here are four apps that can make it easier for you to create and manage a healthier lifestyle—and keep you on the road performing at your best.

Workout Trainer: Fitness coach
By: Skimble Inc.
Website: https://www.skimble.com/
Cost: Free download, in-app purchases

O.K. So you know that you need to exercise on a more consistent basis, whether you’re out on the road or at home. But where do you begin? What workouts are appropriate to your fitness level? And how do you know if you’re doing the exercises properly—and safely?

That’s where the Workout Trainer app comes in. It offers thousands of free workouts and custom training programs led by expert coaches who guide you through every exercise with timed step-by-step audio, photo, and video instruction.

And if you need that extra push, you can hire a dedicated certified coach through the app for 1:1 online personal training, with fitness programs tailored to your specific needs that can help you stay accountable and reach your goals faster.

Strava
By: Strava, Inc.
Website: www.strava.com
Cost: Free, premium option available

It’s much easier to get motivated to workout if you have a local gym, running club, or biking group you can join. That’s because you would have a community to help hold you accountable. But what about when you’re out on the road? How do you replicate that same feeling of community?

Enter Strava, which is essentially a social network for fitness. You can follow the fitness activities of friends, family, and other truckers—and they can follow you back. And when you “post” after each activity, others can give you “kudos” (similar to “likes” on Facebook) or comment on your progress. This way, even when you’re out on the road, you’re able to take your fitness community with you for the encouragement you need to succeed on your fitness journey.

MyFitnessPal – Calorie Counter & Diet Tracker
By: MyFitnessPal, Inc.
Website: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/
Cost: Free download, in-app purchases

You know first-hand how difficult it can be to find healthy food options when you’re out on the road, especially when you’re exhausted and just need something to eat. And the last thing you want to think about when you’re tired is counting calories. But if you’re going to be successful at achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, you need to track the calories you consume—and the calories you burn—even when you don’t feel like it. But how can you make the calorie-tracking process less intimidating so that you’ll be more likely to follow through on your goals?

Download the MyFitnessPal app, which makes the process easier with these food-tracking tools:

  • Food Database: Over six million foods, including global items and cuisines.
  • Barcode Scanner: Scan barcodes to automatically log foods (with over four million barcodes recognized).
  • Recipe Importer: Import the nutrition information for the recipes you cook.
  • Restaurant Logging: Log menu items from your favorite restaurants.
  • Food Insights: Learn how to make healthier choices about the foods you eat.
  • Calorie Counter: Automatically calculate the calories in your foods, meals and recipes.
  • Water Tracking: Log water in cups, ounces or ml.

You can also connect with friends and participate in the larger MyFitnessPal community to find motivation, support, tips, and advice.

Glooko—Track Diabetes Data
By: Glooko, Inc.
Website: https://www.glooko.com/
Cost: Free (if sponsored by insurance plan); $5 month subscription for individual members

If you suffer from Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, this app could be invaluable to you when you’re out on the road.

Glooko is a subscription-based diabetes management platform that helps you understand how food, activity and medication affect your blood glucose. The app includes a digital logbook, reminders, and integration with activity trackers.

Glooko syncs diabetes data from your blood glucose meter and/or insulin pump, enabling you to easily track your medication, food and lifestyle data, with easy-to-read graphs and charts. The app also shows you what time of the day you go high or low, which days of the week are your best days, and how your blood glucose levels compare to previous time periods.

You can also share your data with your healthcare provider, so they can make informed changes to your care plan and support you in-between office visits. Also, from directly inside the mobile app, you can email or fax reports to your provider, or you can set up automatic data sharing.