.KEYWORD health
.FLYINGHEAD SELF-IMPROVEMENT
.TITLE Health and fitness applications for your Palm device
.FEATURE
.SUMMARY Few people realize what a valuable tool the Palm device can be for managing not only your personal health and welfare, but that of your family as well. Denise Watkins takes a look at the built-in and third party applications available to help you do just that.
.AUTHOR Denise Watkins
Many new users or non-Palm converts often ask, "What more can a Palm device do besides serve as an expensive date book?" Well, here’s one valuable use I’ve found: a Palm organizer can become a tool for managing the health and welfare of you and your family.
Between the built-in applications and the plethora of third party applications, you’ll find something to help you meet your health and fitness goals. Unfortunately for me, I have yet to find an application that, upon tapping on the appropriate icon, causes a drill sergeant-style personal trainer to pop out and bark commands like "Denise get your butt to the gym NOW!" (There’s an interactive program for you!) However, there are plenty of more realistic ways to use your Palm device for health and fitness.
.H1 Date Book
There are a couple ways you can use Date Book to maintain your health and fitness. First, Date Book can keep tabs on all upcoming medical appointments for you and your family. When you make the appointment, take advantage of the Note feature in Date Book to jot down any items you wish to discuss with your health care provider. For tax purposes, you may also note the cost of appointments. When you delete items from your Palm device, archive your calendar entries in your Palm Desktop. This way you have a record of past checkups and appointments.
Second, if you’re trying to be more disciplined about working out, time management experts site the benefits of making appointments with yourself. Use your Date Book to carve out workout time for yourself by listing it as an event, as you would any other commitment.
.H1 Address List
Create a Medical category in your Address List. In this category, input all your medical insurance provider information and account numbers. It’s also a good place to keep the listings of all of your family’s health care providers.
.H1 To Do List
In your To Do List, you should keep reminders of appointments to make and prescriptions to refill. Depending on your personal preferences, you may enter items such as these as untimed events in the Date Book.
.H1 Memo Pad
In Memo Pad, you can set up a memo for each of your family members in order to track any health concerns you may have for them. You can also enter immunization records and any medications being taken by family members, what they’re for, the dosage, and prescription information. I mark these entries private. Or, you can use a third party application to track the medications you take. The one I use is called TinySheet. It’s an inexpensive spreadsheet program, pictured in Figure A.
.FIG A TinySheet is an inexpensive spreadsheet program, here shown on the Palm IIIc.
I have a spreadsheet entitled medications. It lists the name, dosage, prescription number, and last date the prescription was refilled.
.H1 Third party applications
I took an unscientific sampling from my friends and fellow Palm users on the High-tech Housewife Message Board at Organized Home (see http://www.organizedhome.com/). Here are some of our favorite health and fitness applications.
.H2 FemDays
FemDays from LinkeSoft is a piece of Palm software exclusively for the female Palm device user. It’s a menstrual pocket calendar that features an easy-to-use interface that resembles the built-in Palm Date Book calendar’s month view. You can also examine the progression of your period over eight months using the application’s graphic function, pictured in Figure B. You can find it at http://linkesoft.com/english/femdays/.
.FIG B FemDays helps women track the progression of their period.
.H2 AllergyDays
AllergyDays, also from LinkeSoft, is for all those who suffer from allergy symptoms. AllergyDays, pictured in Figure C, stores your daily observations and thus helps you keep track of your allergies. You can find it at http://linkesoft.com/english/allergydays/.
.FIG C AllergyDays stores your observations of your allergies.
.H2 Weight Watchers Journal
Many people trying to lose weight find keeping a journal an invaluable tool. WhiteOaks.com offers a free, easy to use Weight Watchers Journal, pictured in Figure D. It’s at http://www.whiteoaks.com/wwjournal/. If you’re already on the Weight Watchers program, you’ll really love keeping your journal on your Palm device.
.FIG D This Weight Watchers journal is a convenient way to track your meals and daily activity.
.H2 DietLog.com
Besides its DietLog application, DietLog.com offers a more comprehensive and expensive way to log, view, analyze, and graph your weight over time in an application called WeightLog. It’s pictured in Figure E.
.FIG E WeightLog lets you log, view, analyze, and graph your weight over time.
They also offer ExerLog, for tracking your exercise and calorie burning. It integrates with DietLog, which was reviewed in the August 1998 issue of PalmPower at http://www.palmpower.com/issues/issue199808/dietlog001.html. ExerLog is pictured in Figure F.
.FIG F ExerLog tracks your exercise and calorie burning.
You can also find GlucoPilot, a program that lets diabetics track their blood sugar and insulin dosages. All these programs have a 15-day demo period and can be found at http://www.dietlog.com.
.H2 4T Medical
4T Medical from Fortsoft is a database application for tracking personal medical information. Under each family member’s entry you can add vital information including date of birth, known diseases, operations, family history, family doctor, etc. It’s pictured in Figure G and can be found at http://www.fortsoft.com/4t_medical.htm.
.FIG G 4T Medical keeps tabs on your personal medical information.
.H2 Smoke Free Zone
Smoke Free Zone is a simple application for smokers who are attempting to break the habit. The application calculates the number of cigarettes not smoked, the money saved, life added by not smoking, and total days quit. It can be found at http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=001AR0&b=zdpalm.
.H2 BloodPressMgr
BloodPressMgr is an excellent freeware application that can help you stay healthy. The program tracks serial blood pressure measurements. It can be found at http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=001AFK&b=zdpalm.
.H2 ePocrates qRx
ePocrates qRx is a clinical drug information guide. It can be found at http://www.epocrates.com. I’ll do a full review of this product in a future issue of PalmPower.
.H2 Don’t forget the pets
There’s no need to leave out Fluffy or Fido. FortSoft has a program called 4TPet that lets you keep track of your family pet’s health too. For more information on 4T Pet, visit http://www.fortsoft.com/4t_pet.htm.
.H1 Conclusion
Whatever your health or fitness needs, there’s a Palm application for you. So, rather than raising a glass to all you Palm users out there, I’ll just raise my Palm device and say, "To your health!"
.BEGIN_SIDEBAR
.H1 Product availability and resources
For more information on TinySheet, visit http://www.iambic.com/pilot/tinysheet/ts30/default.stm.
For more information on Organized Home, visit http://www.organizedhome.com.
For more information on FemDays, visit http://linkesoft.com/english/femdays/.
For more information on AllergyDays, visit http://linkesoft.com/english/allergydays/.
For more information on the Weight Watchers Journal, visit http://www.whiteoaks.com/wwjournal/.
For more information on DietLog, visit http://www.dietlog.com/dietpal.html.
For more information on WeightLog, visit http://www.dietlog.com/noname.html.
For more information on ExerLog, visit http://www.dietlog.com/exbetisher.html.
For more information on GlucoPilot, visit http://www.dietlog.com/glucopilot.html.
For more information on 4T Medical, visit http://www.fortsoft.com/4t_medical.htm.
For more information on Smoke Free Zone, visit http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=001AR0&b=zdpalm.
For more information on BloodPressMgr, visit http://hotfiles.zdnet.com/cgi-bin/texis/swlib/hotfiles/info.html?fcode=001AFK&b=zdpalm.
For more information on ePocrates qRx, visit http://www.epocrates.com.
For more information on 4T Pet, visit http://www.fortsoft.com/4t_pet.htm.
.H1 Bulk reprints
Bulk reprints of this article (in quantities of 100 or more) are available for a fee from Reprint Services, a ZATZ business partner. Contact them at reprints@zatz.com or by calling 1-800-217-7874.
.END_SIDEBAR
.BIO
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