How to create a design system for your fitness (and life)
Within the health and wellness space, too many apps, books, pdfs and online trainers are claiming they will change your life in 30 days!
Personally, I find the amount of programs and advice on the topic to be unnecessarily complex and expensive. Am I really supposed to spend £8 a day on celery juice? Is piloxing (pilates + boxing — in case you were curious) the only path to a fit body?
In the past, I used to jump on all the new trends that ‘health’ magazines and influencers would share as THE thing that will change my body and mind for the better.
Unexpectedly, this all changed when I became a user experience designer — yes, really.
Design systems!
Within the world of design, we rely on something called a design system to help us achieve goals in different areas of the app or website we’re working on. This system is composed of components that are prebuilt but can serve a range of purposes. These components are flexible, but they have rules around when they can and can’t be used.
The system itself is largely different for different device types. For instance, we have design systems for web, iOS, Android and email design.
Using components in a design system is important because it reduces effort for the engineers (so you can build more, faster) and also facilitates a sense of consistency, so users know what results to expect from engaging with certain areas of your website / app.
How this applies to your life?
Think about the different areas of your life you may have dilemmas in. For fitness, do you have strategies for getting back on track when you’re feeling out of shape? What areas of your life need a system?
The design system for your fitness is a compilation of strategies that help you achieve or maintain certain goals in that life area. For instance, if I’m not feeling motivated to work out, I preschedule workout classes for the upcoming week every Sunday evening.
Components
Each tactic itself I like to view as a component within the ‘design system’ of my fitness. Instead of becoming exhausted searching Instagram for the next fitness trend, I know that getting back into a simple positive habit I’ve used before is all it takes to get back on track.
How this applies to your life?
Once you have the area of your life you want to create a system for, think about the strategies that have worked for you in the past. Make a list of the goals you want to achieve, tactics you know that work, and keep it somewhere for reference. This will reduce the information overload it’s easy to fall into.
Variants
Sometimes, however, you will still need to adjust your strategies given your situation. This is OK, and I like to view it as creating a variant. For instance, at work we have a component called a ‘banner message’ which is used to convey promotional messaging. It can come in two different colours, and for messaging our loyalty program, can even feature logos and icons.
How this applies to your life?
Perhaps you used to prebook workout classes every Sunday, but now your financial situation has changed. Instead, you now create a variant of ‘prebooking workouts’ through ‘prebooking workouts with a friend’ in your local park for FREE. You’re still accountable to someone else at a specific time, BUT you’re adapting to your financial situation (and still hitting your fitness goals).
Where to begin with building your ‘design’ system for life?
Even within the world of design, we always say that a ‘design system’ is never truly ‘done.’ Nonetheless, beginning the process of creating strategies to improve one’s life can feel overwhelming.
Here’s how to get started…
- Find a digital organization tool
For me, I have my fitness design system and goals documented in Trello (but Notion is also a great tool for this).
2. Start with one area of your life
Instead of trying to improve your relationships, fitness and mental health at the same time, just pick one area of your life that feels the most neglected. Focus on that, and see how you get on!
3. Start journalling
When we create designs, we keep track of what’s working and what’s not through data. Get as much data as you can on how your strategies are working (whether its through a fitness tracker, journalling etc). Through doing this, you can adjust your strategies more accurately.
Note: if you know that tracking certain things is triggering for you, consult a doctor / professional! I don’t track my weight, but I track my sleep, for instance.
I’m curious — what area of your life needs a design system? How do you keep track of your goals? 👇
