Track health with cell phone

By KRISTI EATON

VIEW ON HEALTH

Staying healthy and fit is now in the palm of your hand with the iPhone and iPod touch. There are thousands of applications aimed at living a healthier lifestyle that can be downloaded from Apple’s app store. Below are 10 of the best.

QUITTER

Everyone is aware of the the negative health effects smoking can have on your body. But there’s another reason to think about kicking the habit: money. Many states across the country are looking to raise cigarette taxes to cover budget shortfalls, making packs more expensive than ever. The free application Quitter not only keeps track of how long you have gone without smoking, it documents the amount of money you will save. Users must simply enter the cost of a pack of cigarettes and how many cigarettes are smoked per day.

FAST FOOD CALORIE COUNTER

For 99 cents, users of this application can have the nutritional content of more than 9,000 menu items from 72 fast food restaurants right at their fingertips. The nutritional information listed includes the number of calories, fat, carbs, fiber and protein in the foods. A sampling of the restaurants include Arby’s, KFC, Panda Express, McDonald’s, Chipotle and Taco Bell. In addition, the application keeps track of the calories, fat, carbs, fiber and protein you consume each day. The foods eaten each day are saved in the app for up to one year.

STEPS

Walking is one of the easiest ways to exercise and lose weight, and now, with the application Steps, iPhone and iPod touch users can have their own personal pedometer. The application, which costs $1.99, keeps track of the numbers of steps, the average speed, total distance and total number of calories burned. The length of a stride is calculated based on height and the number of calories burned is based on weight. The statistics can then be sent to your email account. For the best accuracy, the creators recommend putting the iPhone or iPod touch in your pockets or keeping it at your waist.

ALCOHOLMETER

Had one too many alcoholic beverages? This application estimates the blood alcohol concentration after drinking. The calculations are made based on the person’s weight, sex, type of drinks consumed and the time period since the first drink. This 99 cent application also determines how much time it will take the user to return to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.0 percent, as well as the statistics by country of the maximum allowed BAC level.

ASLEEP

Is your best sleep achieved while on the beach? Or, maybe with rain and thunder in the background? With aSleep, users can bring the noise to them to help them get a restful nights sleep. For 99 cents, you can listen to nature sounds like a beach with seagulls, the wind or a waterfall, or life sounds, which include helicopter sounds and a ferry fog horn. Noises like white noise or keyboard typing are also available, as are instrument sounds. And for those users who need a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere, meditation sounds are an option.

WEIGHTBOT

Trying to lose weight, or gain for those lucky few, is easier to keep track with using this application, a weight-tracking robot. With Weightbot, which costs $1.99, you can set your weight goal, record your weight, view your body mass index and see your progress in a graph. Users enter their weight up to once a day, and see their BMI instantly pop up. By rotating the iPhone or iPod touch, you can see your progress on grapp and how far you are from the goal weight you entered. The data can be protected using a passcode.

GLUCOSE-CHARTER

More than 23 million Americans are affected by diabetes and the insulin injections that go along with the disease. With the 99 cent Glucose-Charter application, people suffering from Type 1 and 2 diabetes are able to self-monitor and log their blood glucose and insulin levels, other medications and carbohydrate foods. The information logged can also be sent to your email or to your doctor every 30 days.

FITNESSBUILDER

Need help knowing what exercises are best for you, but not able to afford a personal trainer? FitnessBuilder brings the personal trainer to you for only $9.99, with more than 3,000 exercise videos and images to help you with a variety of workouts — strength, cardio, flexibility, sports, yoga, pilates and more. Users can also track their cardio and strength workouts and add notes. And for those hoping to share their success with the rest of the world? You can add your exercise progress to your Facebook wall, twitter or email it to yourself and friends.

WEBMD MOBILE

This free mobile version of the popular Web site helps people check symptoms, and understand drugs and vitamins. It also offers first aid guides. Don’t know why your neck hurts? Use the WebMD Symptom Checker to select the part of the body that is troubling you to learn about potential conditions. The WebMD Drugs & Treatments section of the application offers information on drug usage, side effects, interactions and other precautions, while the First Aid Information section gives visual guides to CPR, choking and other emergency situations.

JUST BRUSH

Although the importance of oral health is sometimes forgotten about, brushing your teeth is just as imperative as eating a good diet. Brushing keeps your teeth, gums and mouth strong and healthy. Based on the dentist recommended two-minutes of brushing, the free app Just Brush uses a timer to countdown the minutes and seconds. A chime will ring and the clock will turn from blue to green at the end of the two minutes.

ACUPRESSURE

The stress of work and family can sometimes seem too hard to handle. But taking just a few minutes for yourself and relaxing your body and mind can really make an impact with your level of stress. A 60-minute $60 massage might seem out of the question, but the 99 cent Acupressure app shows detailed reflexology charts to guide your self massage while soothing music plays. Charts of the hands, feet, ear and teeth are included.