Health inspiration from @BillClinton, the Role Model-in-Chief

Former President Bill Clinton shows off his healthy lunch for AARP The Magazine. Photo source: AARP's website. Credit: Ben Baker.

Bill Clinton has traded his Commander-in-Chief title for Role Model-in-Chief. 

At least when it comes to health and diet.

A piece in AARP The Magazine penned by journalist Joe Conason ("My lunch with Bill," August/September 2013) outlines Clinton's vegan diet, which was in part responsible for his 30-pound weight loss. 

Clinton made the diet switch quickly after a 2010 heart incident that resulted in a pair of stents (he previously had quadruple bypass surgery in 2004).

It's a testament to his discipline that he pulled off a 180-degree pivot overnight — motivated not only by his own urge to live but by the goals he has set for his foundation.

The Clinton Foundation is tackling obesity in both children and adults through its Clinton Health Matters Initiative, which promotes evidence-based systems and changes in environment toward the goal of reducing preventable diseases.

While not everyone will adopt the full Clinton diet, there are some great tips for making small (and tasty!) changes that can positively impact your health (my wife's latest crusade is to make me a quinoa convert!).

Source: AARP The Magazine

Serving up some healthier food choices in Washington state

One size doesn't fit all when it comes to wellness programs.

So Premera Blue Cross in Washington state launched Serve It Up!, a web and mobile app service that helps members make healthier choices.

Neal Sofian, Premera's Director of Member Engagement, said at a recent mobile health conference in Boston (as reported in MobiHealthNews):

“Serve It Up! is saying we recognize how people operate. They are at the grocery store 200 times a year, so why not start where people are — at the grocery list? Which means it starts at the dining room table or the kitchen table when you’re making your weekly shopping list.”

The service allows users to create shopping lists and use an iPhone app to scan bar codes and get nutritional information. There are sponsored coupons for healthy items and recipes to help you figure out how to cook things like a 112-calorie coconut curry soup.

There's also some perks, too, for making those healthy choices. Serve It Up! awards points for making healthy choices that can lead to prizes  — even tickets to a Seattle Seahawks game! 

Patient engagement comes in many flavors — and, in this case, with some points for making healthy decisions.

Serve it Up! helps users shop smart and eat healthy -- helping you make smarter and healthier foods choices at the grocery store and at home. Try it: http://www.serveituphealthy.com

Source: MobiHealthNews

Your scale is ready to weigh you (and tweet you)

We are becoming more connected to our health [data] every day.

So much so that investors recently dropped another $30 million in venture funding into Withings, the connected health device maker, to help with development and sales.

Withings has some great devices — a scale that tracks your weight and BMI, a blood pressure cuff that clips into your iPhone and a new activity tracker to compete with the likes of FitBit, Jawbone UP (which I use) and Nike+ FuelBand. And rumors are that Apple may be working on a health and fitness-related wearable device.

Acccording to the website MobiHealthNews, the number of fitness app installs is expected to grow 60 percent in the next five years, from 156 million now to 248 million in 2017.

It's encouraging that so many people want to track their health stats — especially if it keeps us all moving toward a healthier tomorrow.

Your kid's routine, on your iPad

Kids need a routine. And now there's an app for that!

It's MyRoutine, an iPad app from Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tenn.

The idea stemmed from kids being scared about visits to their doctor or the hospital. But it extends way beyond health care. 

The app allows you to create a "story" for your child — from a visit to the hospital to taking the school bus to getting ready for bed — and lists the tasks they must complete. You create the tasks, associate a picture with each task and put them in the appropriate order. 

As your child completes each task, they can click on the photo to reveal "All Done!"

Think of it as a "to do" list for your kid — and something that can engage and delight them as they feel a sense of accomplishment.

Original source: MobiHealthNews

Have a Coke and a shout out!

A very cool concept that is all about engagement! 

For Coca-Cola Israel, it started with customized cans with your name on it.

Now, using geofencing technology and a smartphone app, you can get a shout out as you drive down the freeway!

Source: AdRants