AWT Health Club Week One – Let’s get moving!

It’s a Monday, a good day to start a new project. Here at Apple World Today, we’re trying a life-changing project that all of you can choose to participate in if you’d like… or not! It’s called the AWT Health Club, and it’s all about making healthy choices.

In the past 15 years, I’ve gained about 20 pounds. There are a few reasons for that; I have a sedentary job, I’m not a fan of exercise, and I love good food and beverages. There are some very compelling reasons for me to lose weight and become more active — I’m in my late 50’s, my father has heart issues and diabetes, and I figure if I don’t change my habits soon I will go down that same path.

Starting today, every Monday I’m going to publicly share my weight, my loss or gain for the week, my daily activity for the last week, and other health-related info of interest. I’ll also share information about apps I’m using or trying out, whether or not the Apple Watch — when I get one — encourages me to move more, and anything else that’s relevant.

What’s your part in all of this? Well, feel free to take part if you’d like by adding your tips, comments, and/or your weight and activity information on our Facebook page. You can also provide encouragement to anyone who is taking part.

Health app of the week: Breeze

Runkeeper’s free Breeze app has been a constant companion on my iPhone since it first came out a few years ago. While it’s a Runkeeper product, it’s not made for GPS tracking of runs; it’s just a step tracker. Wait, let me retract that — it’s more than a step tracker, as it’s a motivational tool as well. Several times a day, you’ll get a subtle notification that you can do better (walk longer) than you did yesterday.

Breeze creates its own goals for you based on how many steps you take – the “smart average” of your last seven days of walking. That provides motivation to improve your step total a little bit every day, so the app is perfect for those of us who are total slugs. It’s not obnoxious about motivating you, either — the notifications are always affirming.

So, what are you waiting for? Head on over to our Facebook page now and join in for encouragement, motivation, and ideas from fellow AWT readers. See you next Monday, when I’ll hopefully be a little lighter.

My weekly stats:

• Weight: 196.8 lbs.
• Change from last week: +1.0 lb
• Steps taken each day: M-2214,T-1071,W-1670,TH-2199,F-1496,SA-2394,SU-3285
• Average steps per day last week: 2047