Little Steps

Inspiration

Every year I sit down to write goals in areas of my life I want to change and one of them is always fitness. I write on my paper "I want to get fit".

Then three weeks later, I have no idea how i'm supposed to start this fitness journey.

Join the gym year? I'd do that for a week and cancel my membership, after feeling like I was simply doing nothing throughout.

Watch a workout video? I stopped halfway and decide the next video seems more like what I needed.

So what exactly is my problem?

Well it started from the goal, "I want to get fit".

But what does that look like to me.

Is it being able to run a marathon? Is it completing a whole pilates class without crying? Or is it simply being able to walk for 30 minutes without being out of breath?

Everyone's fitness journey looks different. The problem isn't necessarily a lack of motivation, sometimes, the goal is simply too big and there isn't a clear place to start.

That's why I created Little Steps: a tool that takes a bigger fitness goal and turns it into an actionable plan of small, achievable steps.

What it does

Little Steps is more than your average fitness tracker. Rather than simply recording what you've already done, it helps you decide what to do next. Users can:

• Set multiple fitness goals
• Break those goals into practical, achievable actions
• Set realistic weekly targets
• Check in on their progress
• Receive encouragement along the way
• Earn points and badges to make progress more rewarding
• Give feedback on whether a goal felt too easy or too difficult
• Adapt their journey as they progress

The idea is simple: You don't have to achieve everything at once. You just have to take the next little step.

How I built it

Throughout development, I used ChatGPT as a coding and learning assistant. Rather than simply asking it to build the project for me, I used it to understand Python concepts, troubleshoot errors, brainstorm features, and iterate on the user experience. This allowed me to turn an initial idea into a working interactive web application while developing my own programming skills along the way.

Challenges I ran into

You'd think using an AI chatbot would mean there wouldn't be any issues, but that was far from it. During the project I was able to delve into the intricacies of python syntax, who knew computers could be so detailed oriented?

I learned the importance of testing each part of code individually, reading error messages carefully, and understanding why something wasn't working rather than simply seeing a problem then finding the solution without knowing the why.

I also had to think beyond the code itself: What might a user struggle with? What happens if they want more than one goal? What happens if they miss a day? How can the app encourage someone without making them feel like they've failed?

This helped me develop both my problem-solving skills and my understanding of user-centred design.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

I'm proud that I was able to turn an idea I had into a fully functional web application. Little Steps now allows users to create fitness goals, work towards them through smaller actions, track their progress and receive encouragement along the way. Most importantly, it's something I can actually see myself using and sharing with my family and friends.

What we learned

This project helped me develop my knowledge of Python and web development, while also teaching me how to use AI tools more effectively. One of my biggest takeaways was learning that AI doesn't have to replace the learning process. Instead of waiting until I knew enough Python to start building something, I could start building, ask questions when I got stuck, understand the answers, test them, and keep improving.

What's next for Little Steps

Currently, Little Steps supports a handful of fitness goals and provides practical steps based on those goals.

The next step is to expand the range of fitness goals and create more detailed breakdowns for different types of users and activities.

Eventually, I'd also like Little Steps to become more personalised. Adapting recommendations based on a user's progress, preferences and feedback while keeping the focus on accessible, achievable and encouraging fitness.

Built With

• chatgpt
• css
• html
• json
• pandas
• python
• streamlit