The LivingFit course contains two closely related elements that raise user accountability, promote mindfulness through interaction, and provide visual motivation to increase activity levels.
The LivingFit course is specifically targeted to users who are mostly inactive or even completely sedentary, but it can benefit anyone who wants to increase their daily activity or reframe their attitudinal outlook on exercise.
The course contains a metrical centerpiece—comprised of two parts—that functions as a prime motivational tool for users.
The Activity Log
Each session of the LivingFit course (which progresses on a week-by-week basis) issues the user two different types of challenges:
- The weekly walking goal: This is a combination of the number of days to walk, the walking pace, AND the total amount of time the user is challenged to walk.
- The daily goal: This is an assignment that engages the brain's habit-creation system, often encourages introspection, and plays a pivotal role in reframing the user's attitude about exercise.
Both goal-types become incrementally more challenging as the course unfolds. Users are prompted to enter their minutes walking and their completion of the daily goal in the activity log every day (although they can retroactively fill in days they've missed back to the previous week). Here is an example of the activity log, as it appears in week 3:
The Walking Summary
The Walking Summary is kept in the Tools section of the course library; it compiles all the data entered into the Activity Log and displays it so the user can see a weekly breakdown of their days walked, minutes walked, and completion of daily goals. At the top of the summary are the totals for all categories logged:
- Minutes walked since starting the course
- Hours walked since starting the course
- Average minutes walked per week
- Ongoing percentage of daily goals met
- Daily breakdown of walking minutes organized by week, with totals on the right to reveal trends later in the course
- Days the daily goal was met and number of days walking minutes were logged (in relation to how many goal-days there were)
In Summary
The Activity Log gives the user a sense of accountability and interactivity within the LivingFit course. There are regular reminders to fill in the activity log that are woven into each session; also, users have the option to schedule reminders sent via email and/or text.
The Walking Summary is designed to give users both a snapshot and a detailed report on their activity levels and adherence to the daily goal challenge. As the user continues through the course, the Walking Summary provides a journal of progress and achievement.
