102 MAY 2019 / WOMANSDAY.COM
A Better Way
to Track Fitness
Google Fit’s newest
feature sets it apart from other
fitness tracking apps. Working with
the World Health Organization and
the American Heart Association, the
app implemented “heart points” to
make it easier to know you’re h itti ng
the government recommendation
for weekly physical activity.
Available on smartphones and
smartwatches (on iPhones it lives
in the Wear OS by Google app), the
app challenges you to collect 150
heart points per week. It shows
what your movements add up to
by awarding points based on effort
(each m i nute of v igorou s exerci se
equals two points, for example).
“Women are busy—if we can help
them figure all this out and make
it easy and fun, that might help
them do what they need to do to
have healthy hearts,” says Kapil
Parakh, M.D., cardiologist and
medical lead for Google Fit.
24/7 Blood
Pressure
Monitoring
Treating hypertension usually
requires frequent doctor’s
office visits, and at-home blood
pressure monitoring products
can be confusing (plus, you have
to remember to use them!).
HeartGuide by Omron ($499,
omronhealthcare.com) is changing
the game. It looks like a watch,
but it monitors your pulse, or
heart rate, and blood pressure
are at the highest risk. Confusion
over discharge orders or recovery
instructions contributes to this—
and Corrie Health wants to help
with a digital platform that’s
already used by hospitals like
Johns Hopkins Medicine and
Massachusetts General Hospital.
Early in their stay, patients receive
a kit that includes an Apple Watch,
the iHealth Bluetooth blood
pressure monitor, and access to an
app that details easy-to-understand
recovery instructions. The app
also tracks (and sends reminders
about) medication requirements,
follow-up appointments, and
fitness and diet needs. “Discharge
can be overwhelming—it’s a
critical juncture when problems
can arise,” says Dr. Narula.
“Anything that gives people
a better handle on what they’re
supposed to do when they leave
is empowering, because you’re
involving them in their own
care.” The results so far:
a 75% drop in readmission
rates among the first
patients to use it.
Cutting-edge technology is making it easier than ever
to take care of your ticker. BY ALYSSA JUNG
at all times, and it meets the
same accuracy standards as
your doctor’s office. “Wearable
monitors like this can be
extremely valuable,” says Tara
Narula, M.D., a cardiologist at
Lenox Hill Hospital Northwell
Health. “Use it in coordination
with your doctor—it can provide
her w ith more data to make
treatment decisions, and seeing
those numbers for yourself can
motivate you to make the lifestyle
changes your heart needs.”
Support After
the Hospital
One in five Americans is
readmitted to the hospital within
30 days, and heart attack patients
HELP YOUR
HEARTMaintaining a healthy
lifestyle really is
key: Nearly 80% of
cardiac events are
preventable.
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