Ever since I passed the big 5-0, I’ve been making a real effort to take better care of myself. Some of the positive changes I’ve made include walking more and making healthier food choices. Since I’m one of those people who have a hard time tearing themselves away from their computer, it’s a bonus that my iPhone can be a useful tool in my pursuit of healthy living.

Here are the apps I’m using:

iTreadmill

After trying a couple of free pedometer apps and not being entirely happy with them, I decided to take the plunge and pay for one that would work the way I wanted it to. I chose iTreadmill after reading that it was recommended by Oprah’s O Magazine, Weight Watchers, and other reputable sources.

You simply open the app, press Play, and tuck the phone in your pocket. The screen immediately goes black to save battery power, but the counter continues as long as you keep moving. Whenever you stop for 5 seconds, it beeps politely to let you know it has auto-paused. It automatically picks up where it left off when you resume moving.

By default, it chimes whenever you pass .25 kilometers or miles (whichever you choose), and it’s nice to know how far you’ve gone without constantly taking out your phone. In addition to distance, it keeps track of steps, time, and calories burned. If you wish, you can set a goal in one of those areas, and select a tune from your music library to play when you achieve it.

When you’re finished your walk, you can save your data and view a summary of your totals to date in a chart or a graph.

The only downfall I’ve experienced is that if you want to access any of your other apps while you’re walking (other than the iPod, to which there’s a direct link inside the app), you need to pause it. That’s not a huge deal, as long as you don’t forget to start it again!

Heart Pal

I was a bit perturbed when, despite my positive lifestyle changes, my doctor told me my blood pressure was too high. As she pointed out though, maybe it would have been a lot worse if I hadn’t made those changes.

In any case, I began monitoring my blood pressure as per her recommendation, but I wasn’t keeping track of it anywhere. I knew I could just write it on a piece of paper, but I loved the idea of recording it on my iPhone.

I downloaded the free version of Heart Pal and liked it right away. You just enter your data and save it. It doesn’t get any easier than that! After five entries I discovered that I had to upgrade to continue using it, but for 99 cents, I wasn’t too worried about it!

Now, when I see my doctor, I can just show her the readings on my phone. I also have the option of emailing it to myself (or someone else) in PDF, HTML, or CSV format.

Do you use any apps to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle? Which ones?