Phone alerts keep exercisers in line

My husband wants me to get a phone with an alarm on it because he's tired of hearing me complain when I forget something. He uses one to prompt him on sorts of matters -- upcoming meetings, birthdays, and to-do list items. Clearly, it works better than my paper lists do, so I think I'll let him trade in my cell phone for one with more bells and whistles. I'll use it for all my important dates and deadlines -- and maybe for my exercise plans too.

A new Stanford study found that people who used gadgets like iPhones and BlackBerries to monitor their fitness routines were more likely to stick with their workouts. Check this out: 37 non-exercisers were put into two groups. The first group was prompted twice a day to log their activity levels and set exercise goals. Those who didn't respond received three more alerts. The second group, well, they got educational handouts on exercise. Any guesses on what happened? After eight weeks, the PDA users had exercised about five hours per week. The others: Only two hours per week.

Two reasons I need a spiffy new phone: I'll stay more organized, and I'll stay in shape too.