DEWITT, N.Y. (WSYR-TV) — As technology continues to evolve, improvements are also being made to our personal health.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be challenging.
“The more I move, the better I feel about myself,” said Brenda Ferguson, resident of Central New York.
But for Ferguson, she says her smart watch is what makes it easier.
“Using the watch encourages me to have the rings closed because there are three rings per day, so it encourages me to have the rings closed. So, it almost motivates me to walk,” said Ferguson.
The three rings include, move, exercise and stand. The goal is to close all three rings each day. Something that’s top of mind for Ferguson.
“On the weekends, we change where we go. We try to walk for about six miles when we do walk. When we run, we run for about three miles,” said Ferguson.
Her daughter, Monique, is now following in her mother’s footsteps, literally.
“I definitely workout more. It’s definitely like a motivation to go out and do things. It’s definitely helps me to gamify my life,” said Monique Ferguson, daughter of Brenda Ferguson.
But with wearable technology, like a smart watch, ring or even bracelet, you can track much more, including your heart rate response and sleep.
“It can diagnose or help you diagnose irregular heart rhythms, like atrial fibrillation, which we know is associated with stroke. It can help measure heart rate response when you’re exercising,” said Dr. Russell Silverman, MD, a cardiologist at St. Joseph’s Health Cardiovascular Institute.
Dr. Silverman says he doesn’t even have to recommend wearable technology to his patients because many of them already wear smart devices. With this trend, he’s noticed some of his patients are now having more body awareness.
“They’re coming in and saying, ‘I have atrial fibrillation,’ which is a different approach then we’ve had in the past. Usually, it’s, ‘I’m having palpitations or my heart is beating funny.’ Now, they’re coming in with a diagnosis,” said Dr. Silverman.
Helping to pay better attention to our body and mind.