The Best Technology for Mind, Body, and Soul

I write about technology for a living, mainly smart home technology and the Internet of things. My focus is on home improvement, but along the way I encounter a lot of gear aimed at personal wellness. And so, when the time came to “remodel” my life—mind, body, soul—I made technology part of the strategy. Here are five ways it paid off, helping with weight management, exercise, nutrition, mindfulness, and more.

Digital Scale. I never thought I’d be one with a bathroom scale, but the QardioBase wireless smart scale (above) in our master bath truly has become a part of my every day. Especially during the early months of the Second Half, when I was in active weight-loss mode, I was on the scale every morning, checking not just my weight, but also metrics like body mass index, hydration, and heart rate.

All that data and more is sent to my Qardio app, where it’s easy to track progress over the week, month, quarter, or year. Accountability is a BIG part of my program, so I got into the habit of posting images of my weekly weigh-ins to Instagram for all the world to see (or at least my few hundred followers). The ritual was probably my biggest weight-loss motivator and now that I’ve reached my optimal weight, it’s helping me keep the pounds from reappearing.

Smart Watch. My wife and kids got me an Apple smart watch on my birthday at the end of August, six weeks into the Second Half. It was a turning point in my program. For starters, the fitness tracking features, measuring steps, exercise, and stand time, have spurred a more active lifestyle; 10,000 steps is my bare minimum, with 20,000 being the preferred target.

I also use the watch’s tracking features to measure my activity during soccer matches. This has led to some interesting—and motivating—findings. For example, I’ve noticed that I score more goals in games when I average at least 105 steps per minute. I’ve always known that movement off the ball creates scoring opportunities, but seeing the hard data is incentive to make the extra runs. I also like seeing how much ground I cover in each match; 7.5 miles in a 90-minute match is my current distance to beat.

There are more high-tech wearable trackers out there, including the Viper Pod, which many Premiere League and La Liga teams use to measure distance, speed, heart rate variability, accelerations, decelerations, and more. I might make that investment someday, but for now the smart watch is giving me all the metric-based motivation I need.

Sous Vide Machine. Let’s switch gears and talk cooking with technology. Most of my protein used to come from red meat, which was driving up my cholesterol levels. Fish is a great source of protein, but I don’t love making it at home, because it stinks up the house. Enter my sous vide machine, the Anova Precision Cooker. It solves the problem of smelly fish by cooking it in a vacuum-sealed plastic bad submerged in a temperature-controlled bath. Salmon is my go-to, but you can sous vide any fish, including halibut, swordfish, and tuna. I also do a lot of sous vide chicken and, yes, the occasional beef tenderloin or ribeye steak.

Smart Apps. In the age of digital overload, another smart phone app might seem like the last thing anyone needs. But some apps are true health aids. One of my favorites is Streaks. Super simple, it lets you choose up to twelve tasks that you want to turn into daily habits. Every time you complete the task, you tap the app to extend the streak. I’m finding it very helpful during my Thirty-Day Challenge, in which I begin each morning with a five-minute core workout. Even after the thirty days are over, my plan is to keep the streak going.

I also like apps that are designed to train the brain through guided meditation. Headspace is a freebie that’s good for beginners and experienced meditators alike. My wife is a big fan of 10% Happier, which was created with skeptics in mind. If you’re doubtful about the effects of meditation, or your ability to do it regularly, give this app a shot.

Sleep Trackers. In recent years, sleep science has been embraced by professional trainers across all sports as another way to maximize performance. Good “sleep hygiene,” as it’s known, leads to improved decision-making and reaction time and it can even lessen the recovery period from injuries. It starts with common-sense practices, like avoiding alcohol and caffeine in the evening and getting on a regular sleep schedule.

Technology is mostly there to measure results. The Eight smart mattress, for example, collects sleep data from the night before, including hours slept and percentage of deep sleep. It also has built-in warmers for ideal temperature settings, and it can integrate with the rest of your smart home, for example telling the coffeemaker to brew a fresh pot when it senses you’re up.

I haven’t made the major high-tech sleep investment yet, but I’ll be report back when I do. If you have any experience with these sleep aides, let me know about them on Facebook or Instagram.