WATCH: Kelowna man invents unique health and fitness app

KELOWNA, B.C. – It’s a goal many of us have but sticking to a good fitness routine and eating well can be hard to maintain. Now, a local entrepreneur has partnered with a UBC Okanagan researcher to create an app that can help you stay motivated. Founder and CEO of Motivation Engine, Ryan Gallagher says it’s about creating a habit plan instead of a work out plan.

“Most of the apps – there are 30,000 of them – I found aren’t good at keeping you using them. You get the app, you try it for a little while but who is there to really keep tabs on whether you’re continuing to do it,” says Gallagher.

He says it’s essentially a website, that will eventually become an app, to help people form good habits from eating well and staying fit to going to bed on time.

Lifestyle coaches are assigned to each person who signs up for the app. They’re real people, trained to help you stay on track.

“Based on your results, when you have a few missed days or if you’re not really doing well on certain things like, say, your workout schedule or your sleep schedule your coach is following up with you,” says Gallagher.

Gallagher partnered with UBC Okanagan Health and Exercise Psychology Researcher and Assistant Professor, Doctor Mary Jung to see if it would work.

Over an 8 week period, participants using Motivation Engine were compared with those who weren’t.  Jung says among the 40 participants in the trial, those using the app did almost twice the exercise of those not using the app.

Jung says she is looking for 40 more participants to try the app for free for the next round of trials which start in January.

The app’s inventor says it’s much cheaper and easier than hiring a personal trainer and nutrition counselor.

“It’s $13 a month. We’ve got two coaches and their compensation is based on the number of clients that they can keep motivated,” says Gallagher.

For more information about the app, visit the Motivation Engine website.