Using social technology for a healthy life

All that changed last month, when I bought a fitness band. It’s easily one of the best tech investments I’ve made. Many think the best feature in a fitness band is the pedometer which helps calculate the number of steps and the distance covered. While that’s very important, the feature I found most useful is the sleep tracker.

Within a week of wearing it, the statistics revealed something alarming. I was averaging less than five hours of sleep. Out of that, I was getting just an hour of deep sleep and the remaining was disturbed sleep. This was a statistic that I was never aware of. Memories of SAP India’s ex-Managing Director, Rajan Das, flashed in my mind. Two weeks before his untimely death, I had a chance to interview him for my leadership podcast. He mentioned that he is a proud workaholic and slept only for 3 hours every night which sadly became his undoing. That memory is fresh in my mind and various studies points out the sheer importance of getting adequate sleep.

I consciously started to hit the bed early and slowly but surely increased my sleeping hours. When I started to get enough sleep, I started to feel lot fresher in the mornings. I began my early morning walks and got into the habit of listening to audio books. What a potent combination this turned out to be. I started to thoroughly enjoy listening to audio books and podcasts. Sub-consciously, I started to walk longer because I was absorbed into the books. 

I began with just a couple of kilometres but now I average over 10 kilometres a day. And all this while I listen to some of the brightest global leaders. I started to feel the rush of positive energy in the morning that had a positive impact on my work the rest of the day. My work productivity improved. 

Facebook allows you to share your daily fitness stats with your friends and the social validation does wonders to your motivation. Now, you are not exercising alone but with a bunch of your like-minded friends.

Productivity apps like Forest, have done wonders in getting me away from my mobile phone. By helping boost my concentration and thus helping me get more work done, it has helped cut down on stress. 

I agree that no amount of apps or gadgets can help if you don’t want to change. But if you do, these can truly be life changers.