It’s well into the second month of the year — how many individuals have ditched their New Year’s resolutions to get healthy and shed some pounds?
But if you’ve stuck to your word or are looking for another way to stay active, there’s a new app for that.
Nikko Mendoza, a 30-year-old Filipino from Fairfield, California, recently launched “Fit in 15,” a fitness and health app that combines workouts with nutritious meal plans.
The inspiration for the app came from Mendoza’s own experience when he gained several pounds to the point where he couldn’t tie his shoes without losing his breath.
“When I got married, I stopped caring and I blew up. It wasn’t huge, but it got to a point where I would tie my shoes and I lost my breath…I would see my [stomach] in the way and I asked, ‘how did I get here?’” Mendoza shared. “So from there, I got back into working out, I read thousands of articles and it just kind of stuck with me.”
“Fit in 15” is essentially a portable trainer that was created to eliminate the various excuses people have for not getting in a daily workout: affordability (the app is free for a trial period but is only $2.99 a month), no time (workouts span just 15 to 25 minutes) or stuck in a fitness rut (workouts options are abundant).
With options for high-intensity interval training (HIIT), cardio acceleration or a fit test, users can perform the workouts anywhere, and can select whether they want to use equipment or just their own body weight.
During a six-month development process, Mendoza looked at other fitness apps, but noticed that most of them didn’t have a nutrition component.
“If you don’t teach people the other half, I feel like you’re cheating them,” he said. “If you’re first starting out, you need to have the basics and this common foundation of knowledge if you really want to lose weight.”
Users can enter their basal metabolic rate and the app generates a customizable plan for up to every meal for a week.
Since the app was launched in the Apple store in late January, Mendoza shared that some users have reported losing an average of two pounds a week. Some reviews of the app praise it for being “easy to navigate” and a “personal trainer and nutritionist all rolled into one.”
Mendoza said the app is his way of making a difference in the lives of others.
“The benefits of being healthy are unbelievable — confidence goes up, the pride you have, and it’s a snowball effect,” he said.
He added, “to me, it’s really easy to be healthy. 15 minutes a day, that’s all you need. You can eat rice, Kare Kare and lumpia — you can eat all this food because I do — and still look decent.”
More updates are planned for the app, such as progress tracking, incentives for completing achievements and different languages.
Fit in 15 is currently available for iOS, and a version for Android is expected to be released soon. For more information, visit http://www.fitin15.training/.