In the Spotlight
Reach Your Fitness Goals with Your Mobile Phone
VA's MOVE! Coach App Available for Android, Apple iOS
Whether you're looking to lose weight or get fit, help from your smartphone can make all the difference. Your routine doesn't have to be complicated, just consistent. We know it can be hard to stay motivated. One key to giving your workout a kick-start is making a plan in the palm of your hand.
Have you heard of MOVE!, VA's national Weight Management Program? Since MOVE! started in 2006, more than 650,000 Veterans have enrolled in an effort to lose weight, keep it off, and improve their health. Now you can use the MOVE! Coach app to help you get into a healthy routine.
Vietnam War era Army Veteran Warren Pennington from Shreveport, LA found success with the MOVE! Coach App. "Once I found out about MOVE! Coach, I was all about it!" said Pennington. "It allowed me to stay at home to lose weight, but still talk to my clinician which was very helpful. When I started MOVE! Coach, I got serious about wanting to lose weight and maintain it."
Self-management guides
Follow the 19-week MOVE! Weight Management Program by using tools in the app to build your weight management skills and meet your health goals. Each week builds on the week before, helping you keep good habits even after you have completed the program.
Jerry Phillips was one of the first Veterans to use MOVE! Coach and has since lost 68 pounds. He is happy about how the program helped him improve his overall health, and not just lose weight.
"I was not overly active before using the app, but now I have to move and do something each day," he said. "After starting MOVE! Coach, I went to work as a stock guy. The job keeps me incredibly physically active." He also stays active through other activities like yard work and house renovations. "Now that I've lost so much weight, it's much easier to do," he said.
Diary entries and goal setting
Use the app to set health goals and track information through diary entries about weight, diet and physical activity.
"The diaries were my favorite. Before, I was eating so many calories! With MOVE! Coach, I started eating 1,800 calories a day for two weeks,' said Pennington. 'We kept the recipes we had, but put them into the recipe section of the diet diary so we knew just how much to eat. Same food, just better portions!"
Phillips agreed, "I liked being able to track my weight and activities in my diary. By monitoring my personalized graphs, I was able to stay more aware of what I was eating - something I continue to do now."
"It was doable"
MOVE! Coach works because it gives you the support you need to be successful while helping you tailor the program to your needs.
"[The program] was doable, with daily reinforcement and reminders," Pennington said. "With MOVE! Coach, I get something every day, versus once a week with other programs. It helped me get incredibly structured about tracking what I did on a daily basis. Ultimately, you have to hold yourself accountable."
The MOVE! Program is designed for both men and women, and for Veterans of all ability levels. Only Veterans receiving care from VA can enroll in the MOVE! program, but the educational resources and tracking features available in the MOVE! Coach app can be downloaded by anyone with an iOS or Android device.
Downloading is easy from the Apple App Store (iOS) or the Google Play Store (Android OS).
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