Our generation of millennials is always being criticized for spending too much time on our phones and not enough time on being “productive”. Technology always seems to be an excuse as to why people never go outside anymore; and we tend to always be stuck behind a screen of some sort. Ironically, my smartphone was what helped me get in shape.

With summer approaching, I really wanted to get better in shape and eat healthier. My biggest problem when I try to diet is that I have absolutely no willpower. None. Zero. I would start out in the morning eating well and even throughout the day. Then at nightfall, I would consume anything in sight, like cookies or ice cream. My whole day was shot because I just couldn’t stop myself from craving dessert.

Since I work at a gym, I reached out to my friends who work there. They told me about an app called My FitnessPal and it really does work! It’s a healthy way to track what you’re eating. My FitnessPal was created by Under Armour, and they did the best they could at making sure that users are eating healthy the right way. It’s not good to just count calories. You need to have a healthy combination of protein, carbs, and fats. Those are the three things they track for you in order to make it easier to have a balanced diet and either lose the weight you want or maintain a healthy lifestyle.

After you put in all of your information, it gives you the amount of calories per day you should consume while displaying  the amounts of carbs, fat, and protein that you need. Every time you eat something, you can plug it into the breakfast, lunch, dinner or snack categories, and it will track everything for you. You can search for brand name items or scan the barcode right on the product and the information will come up.

For example, if you’re having grilled chicken,  or a food that is a fresh ingredient, that’s no problem. You can weigh your food and plug in the ounces, and it will give you all of the item’s the nutrition information. My FitnessPal has made it so easy for me to eat healthy while knowing that I can still snack.

Eating healthy is all about portion control. You can still have pasta or a candy bar. It won’t kill you! Because there’s only a certain amount of calories, carbs, fats, and protein per day, you know that  you won’t be able to have as much as you usually do. The app allows you to eat what you want in a controlled setting. It’s a healthy way to track your weight loss and healthy lifestyle.

My FitnessPal also lets you track your workouts. When you do cardio or strength workouts, you are able to fill it into the the app and it will add the calories you need to eat that day to make sure you’re getting the nutrients your body deserves. All in all, it’s worked for me and motivates me to workout and eat healthy.

If you want to take charge of your healthy lifestyle, DO IT! It’s just a download away!