146: Nutrition Apps + Fitness Trackers: Helpful or Hurtful?

In this solo episode of the Female Athlete Nutrition podcast, I dive deep into the topic of nutrition and fitness apps and trackers. With most smartphones already having health apps downloaded from the start, and millions more available to download, access to nutrition and fitness apps has never been greater. I question whether this is always a good thing, and the potential harms and unintended consequences they may contribute to. From calorie counting apps and fitness trackers, like MyFitnessPal and Strava, to professionally guided apps and virtual coaching platforms, such as the one I use with my clients, I review their pro’s and con’s. I conclude with my thoughts on the best apps available, and how we can ensure these platforms are helpful not hurtful.  

I strongly advise you to engage with these apps and trackers cautiously. And the best advice I can give is to seek professional guidance to see long lasting, personalized, and evidence-based nutrition and fitness guidance. There are apps that you can track your health progress with the help of a coach for just that! I use an app with my clients and it allows all the benefits of tracking, without all the consequences!

If you find that using nutrition or fitness trackers has a negative impact on your physical or mental health, it may be time to delete the app but pick up the phone and make a call to get the professional guidance you need! You can do so by heading to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com and booking a call with me to discuss your personal nutrition needs!

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Head to www.RiseUpNutritionRUN.com to learn more & book a call!

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In this episode we talk about:

2:00 Nutrition/ health apps are everywhere, let’s talk about them!

4:45 Pros of calorie counting/ food tracking apps, e.g. MyFitnessPal 

11:20 Cons of calorie counting apps: do they impact disordered eating? 

18:00 Summary calorie counting/ food tracking apps

19:00 Pros of fitness and performance trackers, e.g. Strava

20:40 Cons of fitness tracking apps: unnecessary competition and comparison

26:00 Professionally monitored apps and coaching platforms: a possible solution? 

30:00 Long-term impact of tracking: app dependency vs actual behavior change

31:40 And the answer is… What are the best nutrition/ fitness/ health apps and approaches?

33:35 Evaluating our relationship with these apps: are they helping or hurting you?