How To Develop A Healthy Lifestyle: Eating Right, Sleeping Well and Being Active
YouPlus Health is an app-based way of keeping people active, eating right and sleeping well. It provides 24/7 guidance on Fitness, Nutrition and Sleep so that the body’s systems work together for maximum well-being. Our goal is helping people develop the healthy habits that lead to a healthy lifestyle.
How did you come up with the idea of YouPlus Health?
When I entered practice, it was clear that many of my patients could benefit from better eating and physical activity habits. Official information on these subjects was, and remains, uneven and incomplete. Many patients were trying to find solutions themselves, but fell prey to charlatan, profit-driven enterprise.
Over many years, I was able to put together what we now call the YouPlus program by working with my patients, studying the peer-reviewed literature and conferring with expert medical and scientific colleagues.
One of the things that allows the YouPlus method to succeed is that its recommendations are supremely doable, achievable and sustainable by normal people. The Nutrition section involves no complicated calorie-counting or record-keeping. The exercise routine requires no formal activity tracking. The sleep improvement strategies involve no apparatus. The program is based on lifestyle techniques that people can understand and follow for the long-term.
What were some of the biggest hurdles?
YouPlus is the first time there has been a complete program designed from the start to be as interconnected in its methods as the systems in your body. We cover every aspect of health (Fitness, Nutrition and Sleep), and everything is backed up by current, peer-reviewed medical science.
This can be pretty different than what people are used to or expect, so one of our biggest hurdles was finding the right way to condense all this science and information into a simple, easy-to-use experience that would propel individuals to use on a regular basis.
Another challenge we faced was our desire to make it fun! No one wants to be spoken to like a machine and it was important to us that YouPlus not only guided people correctly, but did so in a way that felt friendly and encouraging.
One of the solutions we came up with entails our in-the-moment, adaptive guidance. Not only will YouPlus help you get and stay healthy, but the feedback people receive from it will change based on their behavior. You don’t need to read a textbook to get healthy. YouPlus does that work for you while helping you learn gradually in a fun and engaging manner.
What are some of your favorite things about working in the tech startup world?
The increased access afforded to both sides of the doctor-patient relationship is really the reason why YouPlus Health is able to work so well in the first place. Without the advent of mainstream smartphone usage, YouPlus couldn’t exist or, at the very least, wouldn’t be as effective. It has been an amazing experience working with developers, engineers and other innovators on our team to best bring people the guidance needed to develop a healthy lifestyle.
The ability to create something that is effective and also make it available to millions of people is no small deal. We take pride in the service we are building for people, and as someone who has personally seen the unbelievable effects of YouPlus with many of my own patients, it feels good to know there is a vehicle out here that allows us to bring these experiences to the masses.
Why should people use YouPlus?
People should use YouPlus because it’s built for anyone looking to bring meaningful health guidance to their life. It’s that simple. There is a real need for YouPlus, and as a doctor who is not satisfied with what is currently on the market, I’m beyond excited to bring something to the world that takes the decision-making and angst out of living a healthier lifestyle.
When you go to a restaurant, you shouldn’t have to add up calories; we’ve found a much easier way. When you are looking to exercise, it shouldn’t just be based on counting steps. It should be an exercise program designed just for you based on your goals. Sleep is often forgotten, but is incredibly important. Poor sleep has great impact on your health, and we’ve built in methods to assist everyone, from good sleepers to those with insomnia or related sleep issues.
What advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?
I’ve been a doctor my whole life, so I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer this, but one thing I would say is that there is plenty of stuff out there that’s based on gimmicks or fads and not enough that brings an honest, transparent and proven way to solve a problem. If I were to give advice to entrepreneurs, I would encourage them to chase ideas that aren’t simply driven by fads or gimmicks, but rather real, effective ways at getting things done.
Dr. Steven Willey is the Chief Scientist and founder of YouPlus Health