Page 30 - JAN 2020 proof 1 The Castle Pines Connection

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Listen Up: Life Kit by
NPR Podcast
By Lisa Nicklanovich
start. Some of us may see the new year as an opportunity to work on losing the few pounds that crept on during the holidays, or to get a better handle on the nances after all the holiday spending. A friend of mine said January is her chance to try and get more rest. In all these cases and more, NPR’s Life Kit podcast can help us “do life better.”
Each episode of Life Kit is short; most are ten to twenty minutes in length. Experts weigh in on a great variety of topics and provide a few takeaways during the episode. Like bullet-points, the handful of takeaways are summed up for the listener at the end of the episode, wrapping up the content like a short class.
The episodes vary greatly in content, so browse for what interests you. For healthier eating, take a listen to the episode “A saner
mindset for weight loss” or “Trust your
gut: A beginner’s guide to intuitive eating.” If nances are on your mind, try “Be the master of your budget” or “Seven strategies for digging out of debt.” Want to get a better night’s sleep? Try “Don’t count sheep: Better bedtime rituals” or “Do this today to sleep well tonight.”
Some episodes may appeal more speci cally to 20-somethings, to new parents, or to retirees. Some episodes might be helpful
to any age at any stage of life, like those about traveling, friendships, screen-time and paperwork.
I like how the podcast uses examples of regular people who have tried the expert recommended strategies in each episode. The listener gets to hear how the strategy, whether it is creating a budget, making a new friend or sleeping better worked for them. The stories are often funny and surprising and it makes for better advice than just “do this.” I know I am more likely to try some of the tips after hearing how it went for other people.
We all need a little help or encouragement sometimes, and the Life Kit podcast gives us tips and tricks to try as we embark on a fresh new year.
By Kathy Fallert
The holidays are behind us but unfortunately, for some of us, the extra calories from big holiday meals and fun snacks may not be. MyFitnessPal by Under Armour is a free app for Android or iOS which I have found to be a great help when it comes to weight loss and staying on a healthier diet.
Lots of studies have shown that
keeping track of what you eat
and the activity you do has bene ts.
The more consistently you track what you eat, the more likely you are to lose weight. Instead of a cumbersome food diary and activity log where you make guesses
about caloric intake and calories burned, MyFitnessPal helps you log your meals and exercise quickly and without fuss.
You start o by entering your current weight, your goal weight and your activity level. The app calculates your daily caloric goal, which can be modi ed at any time. MyFitnessPal has a searchable food database of over 300,000,000 items. I nd it easy to zero in on what I’ve eaten. For instance, if you just ate a chicken spicyaki bowl with veggies from Toyko Joe’s,
the components are right in the
database to easily track your calories. If you go out and run three miles and enter that in the
exercise log it instantly tells you how many calories you burned and
adjusts how much you can still eat that day to stay within your set goals.
It’s easy to log entries from your computer, your phone or anywhere
else with an internet connection. The app remembers your most common
entries so you don’t have to search for them. As with most apps there is an option to purchase their premium membership at $9.99 a month or $49.99 a year if you’d like more detailed tracking and food analysis. Even without the premium option, the app supports any speci c diet you are on such at Atkins, Keto or if you’re diabetic.
In addition, the app o ers discussion forums to help you with tips from others or to share your own discoveries. Whether you want to get to your lowest weight in years, go on your rst run in weeks or track your heart healthy afternoon snack, MyFitnessPal is a reliable and easy-to-use tool to help you reach your goals.
New year, new you, right? Whether you are the kind
of person who makes new year’s resolutions or not, the new year is a fresh
What’s your APPtitude?
Let MyFitnessPal help you stay on track
Be in the KNOW! Watch for our new segment coming next month...