We’re almost a month into 2017. Do you know where your resolutions are?
Whether you’re still going strong, haven’t started or need to get back on track, everyone could use a little help in maintaining their self-improvement programs.
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We’ve searched IFTTT.com (If This, Then That), the strongest friend of any smart home, for a few applets (formerly, “recipes”) that will leverage intelligent in-house devices toward your health and fitness goals.
Forewarned is forearmed, and if you want to achieve anything approaching a six-pack or even a four-pack, you’ll need to keep apprised of where you are at, statistically.
Withings’s Body series of scales and the FitBit smart watches are fine products to keep you informed of your physical status. And better yet, IFTTT is full of applets that make the most of them, and most of them together.
This invaluable applet will grab your core fitness stats (weight, lean mass, body fat percentage) each time you step on your Body scale and compile them in a Google Drive spreadsheet, for your personal review or to share with your trainer and physician.
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And if the numbers on the scale are nothing to celebrate, this applet will let Withings set a workout reminder, complete with target weight, in your Todoist, a solid to-do-list app that works on nearly all digital platforms.
Withings owners who are also FitBit fans will want to employ this applet that will automatically update your weight on your smartwatch each time you step on your smart scale. You’ll always have this essential info on hand (or wrist) when it comes time to program your weight into the treadmill.
Of course, it’s not all about exercise. Diet plays an important part as well, and until they make an app that shocks you every time you attempt to eat french fries, you’ll need to rely on a little accountability. This Instagram-based applet will send your food diary photos to your trainer (or workout companion) via email each time you use a specific hashtag.
These days everyone from Arianna Huffington to Tom Brady is extolling the health-preserving virtues of a solid night’s sleep, and the smart home market—and by extension IFTTT—are meeting the demand for better dream sessions.
Creating a distraction-free environment is the first step toward a deep slumber, and owners of the Eight smart bed system (which we’ve written about previously) can utilize an applet to build a zen sleep space. Once Eight’s Night Mode is activated, this applet will dim Philips Hue light bulbs, set your Nest thermostat to your ideal sleep temperature, and silence any of your Android-based smart devices.
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Maintaining a regular sleep schedule is also an important aspect of healthy, restorative sleep. While most smart phones now provide in-device (or app-based) solutions for creating a sleep schedule, FitBit, via IFTTT, goes a step further. With this applet, FitBit will set a “go to bed at a reasonable time” reminder on your Google Calendar whenever your FitBit records that you didn’t hit your target sleep duration.
Of course, maintaining a schedule on the other side of your sleep duration is also important. While every smart device comes with an alarm, for many folks that isn’t a pleasant, or even productive, method to get them out of bed.
With this applet, your Philips Hue bulbs (at the color and speed of your choosing) will turn on as soon as your FitBit has registered that you have hit your sleep duration target.
If a lighting change isn’t enough to wake you up, this FitBit applet will make sure you get a phone call whenever your smartwatch sees that you’re in danger of oversleeping.
Even the most well-meaning fitness plan is moot if you don’t stick to it.
And sometimes you need a little “honey” (not real honey mind you; that’s no good for weight loss) to sweeten the pot.
This applet pairs Lifelog and Hue to send your light bulbs into a custom color loop anytime you burn 1,000 calories, letting everyone in your home know you are coming for the family fitness crown.
If material rewards are more your speed, this applet will automatically put money aside toward a specific savings goal you set in Qapital every time you hit your daily FitBit step count. Take enough walks and that Hamptons beach home will soon be yours.
Oftentimes, however, the stick can be more motivating than the carrot.
This Withings-enabled applet, which is only for the brave, will tweet out your weight and body fat percentage each time you step on the scale. And if you want to make sure that everyone in your life knows exactly how much you weigh, you can use one of IFTTT’s most popular applets, which posts everything you tweet to Facebook.
