Did you know heart disease is the leading cause of death for women? Every one minute, a woman suffers from heart disease! But this can be prevented. Still don’t believe me? Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for exact numbers! A variety of factors can lead to heart disease.
For example:
- smoking
- an unhealthy diet
- lack of exercise
- inheritance
According to the World Heart Federation, one of the most preventable contributors of heart disease is an unhealthy diet and lack of exercise. With an inconsistent exercise regime, one will have high blood pressure and cholesterol, thus creating plaque in blood vessels that will prevent blood and oxygen from reaching the heart. A lack in oxygen and blood will result in heart disease or stroke. Did you know exercising for at least 30 minutes every day can decrease your risks of heart disease dramatically? According to livestrong.com, the most effective type of exercise is cardio. Here are some ways that one can increase their physical activity throughout the day.
With adults and even teens constantly being busy in this 
generation, many people lack exercise. According to a survey done by CBS news, only 20.6% of adults meet the recommended amounts of exercise! In attempts to increase physical activity in each person’s life, I would like to make a fitness app, titled 360 Health. This app would cover all the main components to a well rounded and healthy lifestyle, thus naming the app 360 Health. The main component of the app is the exercise reminders. With teens and
adults attending school and work for a majority of their day, the app would schedule ten 3 minute exercises throughout the day based on one’s schedule. The app will include instructional videos that will educate the audience on correct form. I plan to incorporate simple exercises such as jumping jacks, push ups, sit ups, lunges, high knees, jogging in place and many more. Watch some of these exercise videos below! Courtesy of Jessica Beering!
To maximize a student’s opportunity to exercise, I hope to incorporate 3 minute exercises in the beginning of class. Not only will this give students motivation while exercising with classmates, but according to Harvard Health Publications, exercise is proven to increase one’s focus.
In addition to the physical activity of one’s lifestyle, one’s daily food consumption is an important part to a healthy lifestyle as well. Although some people may choose to eat unhealthily because of their cravings, most people do not know what is classified as a healthy meal other than a salad. With that being said, I would dedicated a section of the app to eating healthy. I would include healthy recipes, a food tracker, as well as a scheduled meal prep/plan. To motivate people, I will also include an Instagram account that motivates people to eat healthy through pictures.
Visit the app’s Instagram page!
To get a glimpse of my app, click this image!
To test my prototype, I asked 1 classmate to manually set 10 alarms to exercise throughout the day for 3 minutes. To test how exercise would work in a class environment, I requested that my English teacher, Mr. Currier, set three minutes aside during his class to have students exercise. Here is the video below!
After testing my prototype and receiving feedback from my classmates, I found that although my idea was in its developing stages and I still have a lot to improve on, the first runs went pretty well. After exercising as a class, I noticed that the class enjoyed the “dance party” and took the time to relax. After asking the class if they would like to exercise again, 95% 
said they would. Before class, I asked my classmate to lead the exercise session, and in the future, this leadership opportunity could give people a chance to express themselves. In contrast to exercising as a whole, my friend Jessica Beering volunteered to exercise for ten 3 minute intervals. As a student with many AP classes, she has a busy schedule, so I thought she would be the best candidate to test my app. After asking her what she thought about the exercising, she mentioned how it was difficult to exercise throughout the day, but tried to fit in workouts before and after lunch. With many people asking her why she was exercising, she said it felt a little awkward. As a solution, I think my app would be most efficient and effective if the whole school set aside three minutes at the start of each class period to exercise. Not only will this decrease every single person’s risks of heart disease, it will also bring everyone closer and increase student’s focus before a class.
Learn more about heart disease!
*App created using Appy Pie
Sports Medicine 