Featured App: Diet & Exercise Assistant
Extra Halloween candy, Thanksgiving turkey and gravy, Christmas treats--these are only a few of the delicacies we have to look forward to in this rapidly approaching holiday season. But New Year's resolutions (and weight loss plans) are in close pursuit.
Many physicians, like our patients, struggle with diet, weight, and exercise issues. A busy schedule often compromises our ability to maintain a balanced diet and regular exercise routine. Before you know it, your belt is one notch looser, and you're 1 mg/dL closer to a statin. Success in the realm of healthy lifestyle demands consistent adherence to a program of proper diet and fitness. Monitoring progress is important, too. Our Featured App this month--Diet & Exercise Assistant--can ease the task.
The program was developed by Keyoe Inc. a few years ago and is available in Palm OS, Pocket PC, and desktop versions. Opening screens allow input of personal health characteristics (height, weight, age, gender, and activity level) and weight loss goals. Nutrient targets may be established by selecting one of several specified diet plans or by creating your own. Once the program is configured as such, daily food intake is logged (a database of more than 8,000 food items is included) and exercise activities recorded.
Monitoring your progress is just as easy. Histogram and broken line graphs chart nutrient intake (actual versus target) and weight loss, respectively. Recent program enhancements include the capability to input serial body measurements, estimate percentage body fat, track blood pressure readings, and record additional notes in a daily journal. The desktop version of the program synchronizes with both Palm OS and Pocket PC devices, allows printing of data, and permits long-range weight charting. Diet & Exercise Assistant is available for $19.95 from Handango.com or may be purchased directly from the developer at the company. Web site (www.keyoe.com).
Accessorize: PDA Global Positioning Systems
Over the river and through the wood, to Grandfather's house we go.... Although Yahoo! Maps or Rand McNally may typically guide you to your holiday destination, a PDA-based global positioning system (GPS) can put the navigation back in your own hands.
This valuable technology has been available for decades. Recent years have witnessed the development of smaller, cheaper, and more accurate devices--including those that interface with popular Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld computers. Here's how it works: Satellites orbiting the earth constantly beam their signals down to the surface. GPS receivers pick up signals from several of these satellites at once, allowing precise localization by longitude and latitude. Mapping and navigation software (generally included) provide uploadable base maps (on which your location may be displayed), and allow the user to create travel routes. In this way, appropriately configured GPS devices may guide the traveler visually (a moving blip on a displayed map) and even with directional voice commands.
GPS unit add-ons are available for both Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld computers and range in price from about $300 to $400. Interface options include wired serial connection, expansion card-based units (CompactFlash and SecureDigital), and Bluetooth wireless. A large selection may be found at www.mobileplanet.com.
Surf This Site: DoctorsGadgets.com
If you're a dedicated reader of this column, you'll no doubt want to check out www.doctorsgadgets.com. This well organized Web site provides news and information about Palm OS and Pocket PC handheld computer applications in the field of medicine. Tabbed links at the top of the homepage provide convenient access to a variety of content. An Articles tab links to tutorials and a running bibliography of Web and journal-based articles focused on handheld technology in medicine. The Software tab links to free and for-purchase software products.
The Palm PDAs and Pocket PCs tabs link to listings of devices and accessories available for purchase (generally via www.amazon.com). Finally, the Links tab accesses a directory of Web sites dealing with medical or general uses of Palm and Pocket PC devices. And on the homepage's right-side links you can review the latest in digital cameras, MP3 players, smart watches, and GPS units!
BY THOMAS G. MCLEOD, M.D., AND JON O. EBBERT, M.D.
DR. MCLEOD and DR. EBBERT are with the division of primary care internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn. Their reviews are independent evaluations, and they receive no compensation from and do not consult with the manufacturers of the products evaluated in this column.
