Staying Fit with Smartphones
Summer is one of the most active times of the year. Whether you’re already in shape or working toward the “Dad bod” of your dreams, there are plenty of summer workout and activity guides out there for people looking to get fit. And your smartphone can help you every step of the way.
T-Mobile and Metro by T-Mobile want to help you make the most of your device, so they’ve sent us their tips on how smartphones can help us get fit and stay healthy.
1. Fitness apps are all the rage…
There are hundreds of apps out there for managing and tracking everything from running and relaxing to weightlifting and weight watching. Apps can keep you on track to reach your fitness goals and give you a little extra motivation when you need it. And with so many fitness apps, there’s one that’s right for you.
T-Mobile surveyed its employees and found that almost a third use a calorie counter like MyFitnessPal to track those summer calories and progress toward their fitness goals. Check out the Google Play Store or the Apple App Store for more options.
If you’re looking for something a bit more robust, Apple, Samsung, and Fitbit have all-in-one health apps. In T-Mobile’s survey, more than 60 percent of respondents said they use a health app like Apple Health or Samsung Health to keep track of their activity, steps, nutrition, sleep, heart rate and more. Apple Health can even store your health records including lab results, immunizations and medications.
2. …But make sure you’re also getting enough sleep and drinking enough water.
Staying active and eating right are essential parts of a healthy lifestyle, but just as important is getting enough sleep and drinking enough water.
A consistent 7-9 hours of sleep each night will leave you well-rested and energized for all your summer activities. Both too little or too much sleep can be detrimental to your health. If your sleep habits are out of whack, you’re in luck—Lifehack has a list of the best apps for tracking sleep.
It’s also important to drink enough water—especially during the hottest months of the year. Healthline has a list of apps that can help you calculate the right amount of water for you and remind you when you need to hydrate.
3. Tired of carrying around a big phone? Try a smartwatch.
If you don’t want to carry a phone around while on the go, smartwatches like the Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch, or Fitbit might be perfect for you. In fact, all three devices are made to work with the apps mentioned above and are built with fitness-forward people in mind.
With a smartwatch you’ll have all your health and fitness tools right on your wrist: calorie counters, workout monitors, and GPS location—not to mention all your music, podcasts, and texting and calling needs.
If you use a smartphone, getting and staying fit and healthy can be easier than ever. Want to know more about how to make the most of your device? Stay tuned for more tips from T-Mobile.
============================
Hi Jim,
Please feel free to use the below article as is. For an interview on this and related topics with Grant Parr, or comments by email please reach out and I will be happy to coordinate.
Have a great day!
Ashley
5 Tips For Going From Bench Player
To Star In The Business World
Sports history is filled with the heroics of substitute players coming off the bench and playing a big role in a victory.
Likewise, in the working world, being a dedicated and consistent role player can prepare someone for a promotion that entails bigger responsibilities. The key, as in sports, is being ready when called upon.
“Understanding and fulfilling your role as you await your opportunity is a critical aspect of truly growing so you are prepared to make good on that opportunity when it happens,” says Grant Parr (www.gameperformance.com), a mental sports performance coach and the author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown.
“Athletics is filled with role players ready to meet the demands and the game speed of competition. The mental preparation is equally important in the workplace for those aspiring to climb the ladder and be continually successful.”
Parr offers five ways to spend time wisely while waiting in the wings and how to be well-prepared for the next, bigger opportunity:
Maximize your role. The path to promotion, Parr says, starts with the right mindset in lower positions. “Training the mind for success is essential,” Parr says. “It begins with fully understanding and embracing your role. Doing that consistently gets you ready for the next one. Your role will be what you make of it — a launchpad for future success and a support to others while you learn, or a holding pattern leading toward stagnation and frozen development.”
Set achievable goals and commit. “How you approach your goals matters,” Parr says. “You need to write them down, including all the tasks required to accomplish them, and you need to visualize the feeling of reaching them.”
Remove negatives. “These invariably come up,” Parr says. “Be aware of the obstacles, people, and thought processes that can derail you, demotivate and distract you from making the most of your opportunity. That way, when those things appear, you are prepared to manage them and stay on track.”
Lead and set an example. “In sports, always being one of the first to practice and among the last to leave, and being the one who always encourages others — all those qualities stick in your teammates’ minds as a disciplined, winning example they can count on,” Parr says. “In the business world, your chances of reaching the next level are greatly enhanced when you exemplify a team-first, cheerful attitude on a daily basis, always being helpful to the levels above you as well as your own team, and going the extra mile.”
Study good examples/role models. It certainly helps in sports, and the corporate office is no different, Parr says, when it comes to the benefits of learning from mentors or reading up on achievers who had humble beginnings. “Watch, listen to, read, and learn from the advice and experiences of those who have excelled,” Parr says.
“Moving up in the world entails lots of things that can knock you down,” Parr says. “Embracing your role, whatever it is, means embracing the struggle to get where you want to go. You are working toward something higher, preparing for the unknown, and it requires diligence and commitment.”
About Grant Parr
Grant Parr (www.gameperformance.com) is a mental sports performance coach and the author of The Next One Up Mindset: How To Prepare For The Unknown. Parr owns and runs GAMEFACE PERFORMANCE, a consulting firm that enhances mental skills for athletes and coaches. A recruiter and sales leader in the corporate world for 17 years, he now works with a wide variety of athletes including Olympians, professionals, collegians and high school athletes. His podcast, 90% Mental, provides a window into a broad range of athletes’ and coaches’ mental games and shares their insights around mental performance.
================================
With the field of candidates for the upcoming 2020 presidential election widening, the personal-finance website WalletHub today released its report on 2019’s Best- & Worst-Run Cities in America as well as accompanying videos.
To determine the effectiveness of local leadership, WalletHub compared 150 of the largest U.S. cities based on their operating efficiency. For each city, WalletHub constructed a “Quality of City Services” score – comprising 37 key performance indicators grouped into six service categories – that was then measured against the city’s total per-capita budget.
Top 20 Best-Run Cities in America
1
Nampa, ID
11
Sioux Falls, SD
2
Provo, UT
12
Fort Wayne, IN
3
Boise, ID
13
Nashua, NH
4
Durham, NC
14
Huntington Beach, CA
5
Lexington, KY
15
Cedar Rapids, IA
6
Las Cruces, NM
16
Raleigh, NC
7
Billings, MT
17
Greensboro, NC
8
Virginia Beach, VA
18
Albuquerque, NM
9
Missoula, MT
19
Mesa, AZ
10
Fargo, ND
20
Oklahoma City, OK
Best vs. Worst
To view the full report and your city’s rank, please visit:
https://wallethub.com/edu/best-run-cities/22869/
