The 'smart' way to lose weight is in your pocket

After decades of false promises on how to achieve a healthy life, people hoping to lose weight have been told the hidden secret to success may be hiding in the last place they suspected: Their own pockets.

A new Irish study has found that people who use smartphone pedometer apps which give feedback on workouts will walk at least half a mile more on average than those who avoid the technology — leading to “clinically meaningful” health improvements.

The claim, published in the latest edition of the British Journal of General Practice, is based on the experiences of 90 people whose exercise was regularly checked over an eight-week period.