This document discusses how mobile apps and devices can help track health data to improve exercise, weight loss, and health outcomes. It provides examples of popular apps and devices that track metrics like steps, blood pressure, blood glucose, and exercise. The document outlines patterns the author found in their own data, such as blood pressure increases with high fat intake or optimal weight loss occurring with at least 5 hours of exercise and calorie intake under 1850 per week. Overall, the document advocates using tracked health data and finding patterns to set goals and monitor progress toward better health and weight loss.

1. Using Data to
improve your health
Exercise, Weight Loss, Apps,
Data & You

2. Happy New Year!

3. Now

4. Devices

5. Mobile Apps
Lose It – Food
Diary, Weight
Tracking
Runkeeper –
Exercise
Withings – Blood
Pressure monitor
Shoe Tracker
– mileage on
shoes
Fitbit – Steps, miles,
floors, calories
burned, weight, sleep
FreeStyle – Blood
Glucose tracking
Microsoft HealthVault –
Aggregation of all data,
display point for doctors
Google music
and iTunes

6. How did I get here?
Apophenia /æpɵˈfiːniə/
is the experience of seeing patterns or connections in random or
meaningless data.
Quantified Self
self knowledge through numbers
Chris Dancy – Data Exhaust Cartographer
http://www.servicesphere.com/seanchai/

7. What My Data Tells Me
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Blood pressure increases after days of having 48% or greater fat intake
Exercise outside is difficult if temperature is 45˚ or less – 3 to 5 minutes slower per mile
Exercise is best when listening to music with BPM of 102 or greater – average 16 minute
mile/walking
Weekly weight loss occurs when exercising at least 5 hours per week AND at least 25 miles
Weight maintained when exercising at least 3 hours per week and calorie intake is 1850 or
lower
Blood glucose in appropriate range when carbohydrates at 50% or lower AND at least 5 hours
of exercise per week
The exercise sequence which best helps me meet weight loss goal is:
• 1+ hour per session
• Minimum of 3 miles per session
• 3 days – Rest day – 3 Days
Weekly weight loss occurs when average at least 7 hours of sleep
Weight loss does not occur when average more than 5 miles per exercise session 5 times per
week

8. Data won’t make a
difference
70+ pounds lost over one year

9. Data won’t make a
difference
50 lbs lost over one year

10. The Future

11. How do I get started
• Specific Goal
• Keep it simple
• Use free version of apps first – pay only if you know you will use
the app for at least 1 year AND you know how you want it to
help meet your goal
• Buy a device only if you know how you want it to help meet your
goal
• This is about you – don’t worry about what others think – if you
know it works for you, use it!

12. Questions?

13. Resources
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“The rising popularity of mobile health & mHealth apps” – HIT Consultants http://www.hitconsultant.net/2013/08/21/infographic-the-rising-popularity-of-mobile-health-mhealth-apps/
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“Will an app a day keep the doctor away? The coming health care revolution” – Forbes.com
http://www.forbes.com/sites/ciocentral/2013/09/08/will-an-app-a-day-keep-the-doctor-away-the-coming-healthrevolution/
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“Summary of Fitness and Health Mobile Applications”
http://www.slideshare.net/aafromaa/summary-of-fitness-and-health-mobile-apps
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Quantified Self
http://quantifiedself.com/
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Apophenia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apophenia