I’ve received a lot of questions lately on diet and fitness gadgets/apps, what works and what doesn’t.
There is an insanely huge market for them at the moment; a week rarely goes by when I’m not contacted by a company offering to ‘create an app for me to sell my clients’ to ‘add to my credibility’!
Last week I was delighted to be asked back on BBC Radio Solent, to discuss my thoughts on what is
Back at BBC Radio Solent with the lovely Katie Martin
and isn’t worth spending your money on. In a nutshell, I believe it depends on two things:
1. Your goal, what you want to achieve
2. The type of person you are
The important thing to remember is your CHOICES will get you results, not an app. No matter how clever and slick its advertising and marketing campaign is.
All many of them are doing is providing information, such as how many steps you’ve taken or calories consumed. So what then? You’ve earned that drinking binge? Why should an app dictate that and not your common sense?!
If you are very figures-orientated, perhaps an app could assist your logging process (although I tend to find a pen and paper works just as well, and is a lot cheaper…)
If you’ve a tendency to feel stressed out and uptight, a app could exacerbate this by making you feel guilty and even more stressed for not reaching your goal.
Yes, an app can help track your progress if you are looking to improve your speed. But then again, so can a stop watch, timer and log book.
If your goal is to be trimmer and leaner, your best gadgets are a tape measure and food diary. Apps that claim to do this for you by logging your calories can be misleading, as the calorie content of foods is again not always 100% accurate. And we know that calorie counting does not promote a relaxed approach to eating!
I believe apps and gadgets essentially want us to think we are gaining control. The reality is they are often just providing us with information – not DOING the work for us! I have seen for myself how many are just another means of companies making money – in some cases, from trainers selling them to their clients!
I’m proud I’ve never needed to resort to this – and even more proud that my clients’ results speak for themselves!
