Fitness in the U.S. is a $96 billion industry and yet according to a 2016 study by the Mayo Clinic, less than 3% of Americans actually live a healthy lifestyle.
The majority of people in this country are not given feasible health options. There is a disconnect between what is being offered and what kind of changes people are able to make without overturning their entire lives. For most people, a complete lifestyle 180 just. isn’t. possible.
I have so many friends and family members who try strict diets and intense workouts that tire them out or take too much time out of their day. Then they express feelings of failure when they can’t keep up those routines. Others are dealing with chronic illness or injury and don’t have the funds for a personalized fitness trainer. Then there are those who have an hour long commute two times a day, or are single, working parents — they don’t have 45 minutes to an hour each day to dedicate to their health.
Personally, I struggle with consistency. Motivation has always been something that came in spurts and then died out. Then in 2019, I suffered a back injury that has made things more complicated as well.
Between time, lack of motivation, feeling tired all the time, injury — you name it — a huge portion of Americans feel left out of the traditional fitness world.
That’s why we built EasyWellness. EasyWellness is an app that gently helps you integrate foundational healthy habits into your lifestyle. With EasyWellness, you can choose which habits you want to try. You won’t get penalized for starting small or doing a little less on a difficult day. In fact, we encourage it. EasyWellness’ goal is to help our users stay consistent without feeling overwhelmed. It’s important to have a plan when you just want to give up.
So, what’s actually in the app?
EasyWellness is launching with its first three pillars: stretching, breathing and hydration.
Through stretching programs, our users will improve their flexibility and mobility. Stretching can help reduce joint and muscle pain and help prevent injury. It also makes daily tasks much easier. According to David Nolan, a physical therapist at Harvard-affiliated Massachusetts General Hospital, “A lot of people don’t understand that stretching has to happen on a regular basis.” The good news: you can start at any age and you only need to do it for about 10 minutes a day.
Breathing exercises are key to lung health, stress management and better sleep. More and more studies show that these benefits are actually measurable and that breathing exercises are not simply a spiritual practice. For example, breathing exercises can help us reduce our stress levels by influencing our parasympathetic nervous system and Heart Rate Variability. In a country that has been overrun with heart disease, which can be exacerbated by stress, breathing exercises are the perfect example of how physical and mental health can be intertwined.
Hydration is the simplest of them all. Dehydration causes brain fog, fatigue, impedes proper digestion and can cause cravings. Our bodies need water to function properly so this one is a no brainer!
When a user opens EasyWellness, they’ll be able to schedule when they want to do programs from any of the three pillars. They can choose one or they can choose all three. Depending on how many they choose to participate in, their calendar will populate with corresponding “completion circles” for each day of the week.
If a user chooses a stretching or a breathing program, they will be taken to an informational page which explains the benefits of that program with simple instructions and details. This is where they can also customize their program, choose music, favorite the program, or send it to a friend. They can also decide if they would like audio guidance or instructions. To use the water log, all a user has to do is opt-in and customize their experience. For example, they can choose how many glasses of water they would like to drink in a day and if they would like to receive reminders.
One thing that makes EasyWellness stand out the Wellness Library. The Wellness Library is made up of short, fun modules where users can learn tips and useful information to make their wellness journey even easier.
EasyWellness recommends turning on notifications so that users can be reminded when it’s time to stretch, breathe or have a glass of water. Consistency is encouraged with achievement badges and “streaks”.
So what happens on days when you don’t have the time or energy ?
There are going to be some days where it feels impossible to fit in self care, but our overall goal is to stay consistent, right? We want to turn short term goals into lifelong habits. That’s why EasyWellness keeps a user’s streak going, even if they only are able to complete one of their scheduled pillars for the day. Additionally, EasyWellness offers customizable time frames for each program so that a user doesn’t break their “streak.” On difficult days, 5 minutes is enough. It is better to dedicate 5 minutes to your health than nothing at all. Even if a user has to do 5 minutes for a week straight, we believe that flexible consistency will be more beneficial in the long run than starting and stopping.
Come one, come all.
The best part of these three pillars is that most people can do them at any time and at any age. “Most people” is not enough for us though. EasyWellness strives to be as inclusive as possible. As we grow, we will continue to add options and alternatives for people will different abilities. Currently, EasyWellness offers its stretching and breathing programs with audio, visual and vibration cues, along with text and audio instructions.
Why go Premium?
EasyWellness offers at least one program from each pillar for free. EasyWellness Premium unlocks the entire app. You can start with a monthly plan of $3.99 per month or an annual plan of $29.99/year — that’s 40% off! We know our users will love EasyWellness so we are offering a 7-day free trial. With Premium, you can access all EasyWellness content, schedule unlimited programs, access our music collection and our “Wellness Library”.
The EasyWellness Community
A wellness journey is best enjoyed with those we care about. EasyWellness users can follow our Facebook Page or follow us on Instagram. This is where we can talk about the realities of our health journeys and share in each others’ tiny victories. We would love to see you there!
