How technology helps with health and wellbeing
In this course, you’ll learn about how a combination of technology and apps can help you keep on top of your health, set health goals, and even improve your general wellbeing. With your smartphone, and an optional extra device such as a smartwatch, you can monitor your health and get tips and advice from a range of apps, websites, podcasts, and YouTube channels.
Transcript
In this video, you'll learn how technology helps with your fitness, health, and wellbeing. Whether it's meeting a fitness goal, being active and eating well, or making medical appointments more convenient, there are lots of devices and online resources for keeping you in good shape. Meet Sunil. He's 54 and wants to build his strength and fitness. He has a favourite workout channel on YouTube and joins in several times a week on his tablet or the smart TV in the living room.
Sunil's smartwatch uses sensors to measure his activity and shares the information with an app on his smartphone. The app converts it into easy-to-read graphs and images, sends alerts when he's achieved a target, and can even provide guidance about diet, sleep, and weight. The recommendations are general though and Sunil knows to follow his doctor's advice, above all else. Still, he's really happy about how he's progressing towards his fitness goal. Sixty-five-year-old Lorraine likes to keep active and eat a balanced diet. She knows she should walk every day and uses the health app that comes with her smartphone for motivation. She aims to walk 7000 steps daily, which her GP confirms is good and a safe way to exercise. She uses the app to set a brisk pace for her walk and checks her location on a map as she goes. Once she's finished, Lorraine can check her heart rate using the app and sensors in the phone's camera.
When planning meals, she looks for recipes in the supermarket app on her smartphone. She taps the Quick & healthy category and finds a recipe she likes. She selects Add to Shop to automatically include the ingredients for each recipe in her grocery order. When the order is delivered to her home, she'll have everything she needs to eat well for the week. For a restful sleep, Lorraine likes to clear her mind and wind down before bed. She opens the podcast app on her tablet, closes her eyes, and enjoys 20 minutes of meditation, deep breathing, and calm. Olive is a big fan of telehealth. Now that she's in her 80s, she attends most of her GP appointments online using her computer, instead of travelling to the doctor's surgery.
It's quick, easy, safe, and because it's so convenient, she's having checkups more regularly. In between appointments, Olive can use the practice's website to request repeat prescriptions and renew referrals. To help ensure she takes her medication on time, Olive has reminder alerts set up in her tablet's clock app. A friendly chime plays twice a day to remind her to take her prescribed medication. Technology sure is a handy way to help motivate, manage, and monitor your health and wellbeing. With the internet, apps, and some common devices as part of your everyday, it can be simpler than ever to look after yourself.
1
Technology and your health
5 min
2
How technology helps monitor your health
6 min
3
What health technology is available?
4 min
4
How apps and the cloud help with your health
6 min
5
How technology helps motivate healthy living
6 min