“Having recently finished my 12-week programme with KiActiv^® I am filled with optimism for my future. I would recommend KiActiv^® to others who have been affected by Long Covid”
Julie, 60, Long Covid

Julie’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“Having recently finished my 12-week programme with KiActiv^® I am filled with optimism for my future. I took on board my mentors’ advice and it was so helpful to use the tools on the dashboard. Seeing where changes (however small) could be made to my everyday life, through both exercise and rest was amazing. I am looking forward to new goals being set. My mental health and physical health have improved, which has been noticed by all my friends and family. I would recommend KiActiv^® to others who have been affected by Long Covid.”

Julie’s Story

Julie came to KiActiv^®  looking to manage her Long COVID symptoms. She started her journey with us on a positive note and was surprised to see how much activity she was actually doing. She noted that she was suffering from feeling very tired in the afternoons, going on to explain how she would complete a task and then have to rest for a prolonged period due to the fatigue she was experiencing. This was taking a toll on her mental health as she was experiencing a wave of negative emotions, a common symptom associated with Long COVID.

Julie found the personalised online dashboard valuable to see her day-by-day activity and started to improve her awareness regarding how to incorporate a manageable level of activity into her life daily life without overdoing it, in order to combat her high levels of fatigue. Being able to see and interact with her objective physical activity data gave Julie the much-needed reassurance that she was moving more than she thought. This began to have a positive impact on her wellbeing as she “hate[s] the thought of
exercise”.

Julie’s levels of self-efficacy improved throughout the programme, from ‘moderately confident’ to ‘very confident’ and her mental wellbeing also improved. Additionally, she was able to substantially improve her quality of life over the course of the programme, as demonstrated by a 3-point increase in WHOQoL-Bref combined score, whereby a 0.876-point increase is considered clinically meaningful. These self-reported health benefits were achieved as a result of an improved understanding of how to pace her everyday physical activity, which included having a necessary period of rest prior to a planned period of higher activity levels.

Julie has discovered that it is very important to rest when necessary – just by having a 20-minute rest during the day, she feels able to be more active in the evening, allowing her to enjoy her time with her family. Family and friends have commented on how far she has come and she can feel the benefits herself. Ultimately, she was left feeling “more positive now than 12-weeks ago” after finishing the initial 12-week programme.

Participating in the KiActiv^® Health programme had an overwhelmingly positive impact on Julie, her quality of life, mental wellbeing, self-efficacy and overall fatigue burden, which has set her up for a happier future with a more detailed understanding and awareness of how she can leverage her everyday physical activity to improve her overall health.

“Using KiActiv^® means I can monitor what I’m doing myself. I feel good – as good as I’ve felt in years. Happy, enjoying life and just having a good time!”
John, Type 2 Diabetes

Here are John’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“Having this accurate information helps you to make good choices for better health. This programme is very personal with all the benefits of added support. I would really recommend KiActiv^® to anyone.”
Jean, 66, Hypertension

Jean’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“The KiActiv^® programme is all about understanding how your movements throughout the day can count as physical activity. I found that being able to see the charts of movement every day, very beneficial to reaching goals. The added knowledge that a supporter and helper was on the end of the telephone was also encouraging to reach goals. It made me competitive with myself and motivated me to move more. I was able to gradually increase activity and just by adding small amounts of movement (5 minutes or 10 minutes). It made a difference to how I felt. 

“I am still wearing my wrist monitor and uploading the data. It has just become part of what I do. Having this accurate information can only help you to make good choices for better health. This programme is very much a personal programme with all the benefits of added support. I would really recommend KiActiv^® to anyone.“

Jean’s Story

Here at KiActiv^® we love working with all of our clients to help you make positive steps to achieving your goals. Taking control of your own health has never been easier, but don’t just take our word for it! Jean is a 66-year-old film editor and wanted to share her experience of KiActiv^® Health and how it has helped her to find the value in her everyday movement to benefit both her physical and mental health. 

Jean came to KiActiv^® expressing that she wanted to lose weight, she had also been diagnosed with high blood pressure and was keen to change her lifestyle for the better. 

Jean quickly got immersed in thinking of ways to improve her activity at home, such as increasing the amount of times she went up and down the stairs. Despite experiencing significant challenges in her personal life, Jean stayed motivated to improve her activity around the house during the COVID-19 pandemic, and was even chasing her dog around! 

Alongside KiActiv^® Health Jean was eating “small, sensible meals” to help with her weight loss. “I don’t sit down. Computer has gone out the window” she said, during the week in which she displayed her highest levels of activity. Jean spends a lot of her time on her feet filming weddings and school productions, which was reflected in her activity graphs. “I am quite busy – even when I’m sat down doing the film editing, I will regularly change locations or run up and down stairs. I do plan to keep wearing it and keep doing the things I’m doing.” 

As a result of KiActiv^® Health, Jean managed to increase her non-sedentary time by 16.4% and her moderate activity by 17.7% from her baseline levels. 

Jean emphasised how effective and easy it has been to use her personalised online dashboard, and how helpful it is seeing the graphs of her activity levels.  

“It is really interesting to see it in a graph form… awareness can move you forward”  

“When we did that very first one and looked at graph, I was thinking ‘I think I can do more’, and then to try to encourage you to look at what you’ve done and improve with what you’re doing, a lifestyle change… it’s not until you see it in a graph form that you realise what you do or what you could do. Being able to see it in front of me and analyse it a bit, you just wouldn’t have the benefit of that. I feel I’ve benefitted from knowing what I’m doing, with your help as well. I’m very grateful for the opportunity”. 

“The KiActiv^® programme should be offered to all of us who need support to become more active. Taking part helped me to achieve remission of my Type 2 Diabetes within 6-months from a very difficult starting point.”
Henry, 56, Type 2 Diabetes

Here are Henry’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“I have managed to achieve remission of my Type 2 Diabetes within 6 months from a very difficult starting point. This was from a complete review of lifestyle and I achieved 12kg weight loss as a result of taking part. As a very busy GP, this was difficult in the early stages, especially as I am fully aware of the serious consequences of doing nothing. I have achieved this without medication which demonstrates how vital lifestyle change is in tackling this disease.”

“The KiActiv^® programme should be offered to all of us who need support to become more active. The 12-week programme is a step wise approach with a personal mentor to give us greater insight and encouragement to make important changes. This is an essential part of taking back control of our lives and give us hope to improve our health and well-being. I am now recommending this programme to my own patients to help them to achieve a better and healthier life.”

Henry’s Story

Henry is a GP practicing in the NHS and joined the programme during the pandemic, reporting that he was struggling with anxiety and that he wanted to take control of his Type 2 Diabetes due to the additional threat posed by COVID-19. He significantly increased his physical activity across 4-dimensions, despite a busy and often sedentary job. He managed to sustain these improvements well beyond the 12-week programme and managed to lose 12kg of weight, as well as seeing significant reductions in his blood glucose concentrations.

COVID-19 had significantly impacted his life. He was struggling with finding time to improve his activity because of work and anxiety relating to COVID-19. Despite these barriers, Henry focused on trying to adapt his routine to incorporate more everyday physical activity, and was successful in doing so. Later in the programme, he reported that he had reduced his sugar intake and was increasing both the amount of walking he was doing, and the general level of day-to-to movement in his routine. He reported feeling less anxious, which he noticed as he was no longer biting his nails.

Henry started the programme near the guide for non-sedentary time and moderate activity and managed to gradually improve his activity to reach the guidelines within the 12-weeks. By the end of the programme, Henry was doing ~200 mins/day of Moderate Activity and ~620 mins/week of Moderate Bouts, which is over double the guideline for optimal health. He continued to maintain his increased physical activity levels 6-months after completing the programme and continued to engage with his KiActiv^® technology long after his mentor sessions were completed.

He reported that KiActiv^® “Helps to focus on something which is essential. Trying to avoid the need to take medication”. Additionally, he reported having “better knowledge so I can help others too” (helping his patients as a GP).

“The support I’ve had from my Mentor has been great and I’ve enjoyed her checking in, seeing how I’m doing, and offering so much encouragement! I know I’m fitter and healthier and I want to push myself to do more and lead a healthier lifestyle.”
Clare, 47, Prediabetes

Here are Clare’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

Clare’s Story

Clare Joined KiActiv in June 2021 wanting to find ways to help minimise stroke risk as well as to lose weight to benefit her overall health. By her second session he KiActiv, Clare had already noticed improvements in her activity, commenting that “I can see its definitely working and I am pleased my activity has increased”.

She told her mentor that she has a physical job, however it also involves lots of sitting, to increase her activity Clare goes on a hour long walk before work. By the end of her third session Clare has noticed that she has noticed that she was losing weight. Clare commented it was encouraging and “I do definitely feel better now.” She told us that “I have lost more than a few pounds since I’ve started this”. She “managed to lose around 10 lbs since we started with this programme, so I’m really quite chuffed with myself”.

By the end of her time with KiActiv, Clare said “I feel less breathless, so I’ve definitely noticed a difference.”

Throughout the programme, alongside her morning walks, Clare also took part in other activities such as dancing. She also purchased a weighted hula hoop to take use inside when the weather was bad. Through increasing her activity Clare was able to increase her activity in all 4 dimensions of physical activity. Increasing her moderate bouts by 531.9% for 95% of the time on the programme. Peaking at 171 mins of moderate activity in a single day.

“The ability to look at the graphs, categorise activities and see their impact, has been invaluable. I feel so much more positive about my recovery as I am able to plan and assess my activity on a daily basis.”
Phil, 67, Cardiac Rehabilitation

Here are Phil’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“After having a heart attack and subsequent heart surgery, I felt at a loss as to what I should do next to help my recovery and improve my future health. I was beginning to feel depressed about this and although I had exercised before, I was not sure what effect this would now have on my current health. 

After being given the chance to use KiActiv^®, I now feel I have a lot more control over how activities I partake in impact my health and wellbeing. The ability to look at the graphs, categorise activities and see their impact, has been invaluable. I feel so much more positive about my recovery as I am able to plan and assess my recovery on a daily basis. Because of this I would not hesitate to recommend KiActiv^® to anyone.”

Phil’s Story

Phil was referred to KiActiv^® having undergone heart surgery after experiencing a cardiac arrest and heart failure. His stated goal was to use KiActiv^® Health to aid his recovery and improve his future health.

He showed significant improvements in all dimensions of physical activity across the 12-week programme. He established a good understanding of how to change, and how to incorporate more movement in his daily routine. He was particularly motivated by the accessible and actionable data displayed in his personalised online dashboard. He continued to engage with his KiActiv^® technology after the initial 12 weeks of Mentor-guided support.

After starting the programme, Phil quickly realised the importance of everyday physical activity, explaining that he was surprised to see certain blocks of activity on his daily graphs, which led to him realising that each and every movement he was making was contributing to his total daily activity. His aim was to get into a good routine and he felt motivated to establish and maintain a good level of daily activity.

He expressed how much the programme had really helped him as he was very much a visual person and so having the graphs was “a massive benefit for me,” before going on to explain that, “prior to this I wouldn’t have been sure what benefits each movement throughout the day was having. I think the advantage of this sort of thing is that you can see what effects ‘generic’ daily movement is having on you.” He also went on to comment that the KiActiv^® personalised online dashboard  “is a very useful tool,” and that now “for me, I can see the benefits from it. There’s something tangible I can see that I can draw on and make some conclusions from that.” He decided that he was going to look at the platform every couple of days going forward.

After the programme, Phil responded “Strongly Agree” when asked if he felt confident to manage his physical activity for his health now and in the future after completion of the 12-week programme. He also responded “Yes” when asked if KiActiv^® had motivated him to make any other changes to his lifestyle, explaining that…“It allows me to see how I spend my day and what effect exercise has on that day. I feel far more motivated to move more and plan an achievable daily routine.” Alongside stating that KiActiv^® has helped him “to get out of the house more into the fresh air and made me think about my retirement and what effect that will have on my daily routine.”

“I can honestly say it’s improved not just my physical but my mental health too and I would recommend the programme to anyone who has difficulty losing weight or who has lack of motivation or knowledge to improve their health.”
Rita, 51, Type 2 Diabetes

Rita’s thoughts on KiActiv® Health

Rita’s blood glucose levels have returned to pre-diabetic levels

“Received a great boost on Thursday when the diabetic nurse followed up my most recent bloods to tell me that I was back down to pre-diabetes levels and my cholesterol was also back down to 4, which is fabulous news.”

Rita’s Story

Rita came to KiActiv® looking to increase her physical activity levels to help self-manage her Type 2 Diabetes. She had low levels of physical activity at baseline and suffered from chronic lower back pain and an Achilles injury. 

During her time with KiActiv®, Rita significantly increased her physical activity across the 12-week programme and continues to increase her activity to this day. Rita lost 8.82kg (8.24% of body weight) and reduced her blood glucose concentrations to pre-diabetic levels, in addition to reducing her cholesterol levels over the 12-week programme. 

She was able to do this through understanding the benefits of everyday physical activity with the help of KiActiv®, which included starting to put piles of clothes in another room when she was ironing so that she had to move more, or going to the local shop by foot rather than in her car. Ultimately, she said the programme benefitted her “motivation and understanding” and that it had positively impacted her family with “children who want to come with me on walks”.

Rita started a weekly water-based activity session with her physiotherapist and made a conscious effort to walk more often. By the end of the programme, she was finding walking easier and the same route was taking 5-10 minutes less time than it was taking her before participating in the programme. She was also noticing hill climbs were not impacting her as much as they were beforehand, and she was definitely feeling better. Thus, she was able to increase the intensity of her walks.

Rita has been able to sustain her new physical activity levels since completion. She found the personalised online dashboard extremely valuable to be able to see that her efforts were paying off. She spent the majority of the programme above her baseline levels across 4 dimensions of physical activity and through small adjustments to her lifestyle, she was able to reach ‘near the guideline’ for optimal health and maintain this. 

She increased her calorie burn by ~300 kcals at her peak, which would have no doubt contributed to her significant weight loss during the programme. A stand-out improvement made by Rita includes beginning the programme doing ~17 mins/week of Moderate Bouts, which she significantly increased throughout the programme and is currently peaking at ~260 mins/week.

In her final session, Rita explained that she had noticed that she was moving more and really enjoying being active, as well as finding that she wasn’t craving or enjoying sweet food as much anymore. 

“KiActiv^® Health has given me a sort of boost – a real ‘lets do it!’ Do everything! Get healthy! It’s helped my depression and my psychologist has said it’s made me get out more into the outside world, which has massively improved my mental health.”
Veronica, 71, Clinical Depression

Here are Veronica’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“I’ve just been so thrilled with it. A couple of friends used to wear a band around their waist at the gym which never appealed to me. They were always moaning that it didn’t measure what it was meant to measure but this, this has been brilliant. I’d get pictures from my friends of how many steps they’ve done. It was ok for measuring what they were doing at the gym but it gave them no real information about what they were doing outside the gym. For me, I spend most of my time doing stuff at home, so that wouldn’t register any of that whereas with KiActiv^® Health, all movement matters.”

Veronica’s Story

Veronica approached the programme with a positive attitude, saying that she was “really looking forward to this”. She was referred for diabetes management but had also been diagnosed with clinical depression and was undergoing psychotherapy.

During the programme, she was finding ways to minimise her sedentary time, such as walking the long way round whilst going in for healthcare appointments and pacing around outside while she waits. She also commented that she had arranged to meet her friends to go on a walk, instead of sitting down for a coffee. She was also actively eating healthier and cutting out sweets. Veronica commented on how much the programme had helped her to manage and improve her activity levels, and in turn, how getting out, about and moving around more on a day-to-day basis had massively improved her depression and general wellbeing.

After the programme, Veronica said that she was experiencing fewer depressive dips thanks to being more physically active, and mentioned how the programme had prompted her to get out of the house more often. She was no longer classified as ‘at risk’ in her depression scores and was feeling “really great”.

Veronica made significant improvements across 3 dimensions of physical activity. Notably, Veronica increased her non sedentary time by 8% and her moderate bouts improved by 14% on average. Although the changes may not seem large, it was enough for Veronica to see benefits to her depressive symptoms and overall mood.

She continued to wear the Band and engage with her personalised online dashboard after her Mentor sessions had been completed. She managed to maintain similar levels of physical activity after the programme as she had during, demonstrating that she now has the capacity to successfully self-manage her activity in the long-term.

Veronica completed an evaluation form at the end of the 12-week programme. She was highly positive about her experience. When asked if she was confident, she could manage her Type 2 Diabetes and overall health now and in the future, she responded with ‘Strongly Agree’.

She commented: “It’s made me take more notice of my Type 2 Diabetes and being better about my diet. Being on this, I have given up the sweets and started eating a more sensible diet. This has given me a boost; let’s go for it, do everything, get healthy. It’s helped my depression. My psychologist has said it’s made me get out more into the outside world, which has massively improved my mental health.”

“This programme is excellent! I would strongly recommend KiActiv^® to anyone who feels that their lung condition has taken over their life, and who wants to gain back control.”
Neil, 50, Lung Cancer

Here are Neil’s thoughts on KiActiv^® Health

“My lung condition and state of health was different to many people using KiActiv^® Health, but I thought it may be useful to share my experiences in the hope that they may help others. I developed widespread sarcoidosis a eighteen months ago. Last year I was then diagnosed with lung cancer. I had never smoked, and kept fit and active (including participating in triathlons). As a result of the cancer I had to have a large proportion of one lung removed. The sarcoid also became much more active and aggressive. In the space of a few months I went from easily running many miles, swimming and cycling to becoming short of breath walking up a few stairs. The impact of this on my lifestyle and mental wellbeing was significant. As well as facing uncertainties regarding my cancer prognosis, and being unable to work, I struggled with the sudden limitations that breathlessness brings. My hospital team referred me to KiActiv^® to see if it would help me. I did not really know what to expect, but was open to anything that might help me.

The programme is excellent. I was given clear instructions on how to join the programme, sent the wrist band device and given a phone appointment for the initial set-up. I was allocated a KiActiv^® Mentor (Kirstie Tew) to guide me through the programme. Kirstie clearly explained the aims of the programme, talked me through how to record details and interpret the results. I learnt that all movement is important, and not just structured exercise. Simply moving around more during day to day activities all adds up to improving general fitness – e.g., pottering around the kitchen (rather than sitting down) whilst waiting for the kettle to boil! I also learnt that increasing intensity of certain activities did not necessarily give more benefit than becoming generally more active overall. After I had understood this, it made me realise that progress was achievable even whilst being breathless.

Kirstie arranged follow-up appointments and was flexible regarding the timings of these. I was sent reminder emails the day before each appointment, and the phone was always answered immediately when I called in for the appointment. On the rare occasions when Kirstie was running a few minutes late with other clients, a colleague answered the phone and she called me back as soon as she was free. Kirstie was professional, understanding and made helpful suggestions (and challenges) to help me make the most of the KiActiv^® personalised online dashboard. One of the most helpful aspects was using the programme to help me pace activities. My previous involvement in triathlons meant I wanted to push myself hard, and when I felt my body could do more, I wanted to stretch my limits. Whilst this had been helpful previously, in my new state of health it was not. I recall feeling disappointed when I had been making good progress, only then to find that I dipped the following week and my health seemed to deteriorate. Following a phone session looking at the KiActiv^® personalised online dashboard, we discussed how my activity had increased by 300% in the week leading up to the dip, and that essentially I had done too much. Since then, I have used KiActiv^® to help me pace – If I have done more one day, then I will ensure I do a little less the next day.

The ability to look at daily activities or weekly activities in graphical form makes seeing patterns easy. The platform is clear, and I like the visual impact that the charts give. The ability to tag activities is also very helpful, especially when looking back at how certain activities can influence how you are feeling at the time. It is also possible to add further details (ie description of how you’re feeling during / after activities) whilst tagging.     

By using KiActiv^®, it has helped me come to terms with the limitations I now have, whilst also giving me a structured way to increase my physical abilities on a daily basis. This has helped my mental wellbeing, and made me feel more in control of my health. Looking back through the notes I had made, I see that how I felt about my health has risen from 20/100 at the start of the course to 75/100 at the final session. This is a real testament to the positive impact KiActiv^® has had on my life. It is great to know that I can continue to use the programme, and still have the phone support available if I have any questions in the future.

I would strongly recommend KiActiv^® Health to anyone who feels that their lung condition has ‘taken over’ their health and life, and who genuinely wants to gain some control over it. The course does require you to engage with it, but would encourage others to do so – The effort put into participating is well rewarded!

I would like to say a big thank you to all the team at KiActiv^® – Keep up your valuable work!”

Neil’s Story

Neil is an NHS GP and was referred to KiActiv^® in 2020 with lung cancer. He had had an operation to remove part of his lung which left him “very breathless”, prior to his operation took part in Triathlons, but since his operation he was left “breathless just climbing stairs”. Neil told us that he had a tendency to ‘overdo it’, however, his personalised digital platform enabled him to successfully pace himself by managing to find the optimum activity levels that worked for him. 

His goal at the start of the programme was to do some more regular walking. By his 3rd session his physical activity was increasing in all dimensions, and he was enjoying the programme. He said that the KiActiv^® personalised online dashboard had been encouraging him to do more, but in a manageable way.

He noticed significant benefits from the programme and was less breathless than he used to be. Neil continued to use his KiActiv^® technology platform long after his Mentor sessions were completed and continued to maintain his activity at a level that suits him and his condition. At the end of his initial KiActiv^® Health programme, Neil was asked to fill out a questionnaire on his health and quality of life which the outcomes were extremely positive. His VAS score (0-100 scale), a validated tool which is used to assess overall health status, improved throughout the programme, from 20/100 prior to his initial Mentor session, to 75/100 in his final session.

“Had I not done the programme and become so much fitter, I would not have coped with the surgery so well.”
Barry, 72, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Here are Barry’s thoughts on KiActiv Health

“When I started the programme, I was surprised to learn how inactive I had become. This motivated me to do a lot more walking, which I really enjoyed. Not only did I feel better for it, but within a few weeks one of my sons remarked how much fitter I seemed to be and the other said that I looked very trim when we went swimming together.

As I said to you on the phone, I found our talks very therapeutic. In retrospect if I had not done the programme and become so much fitter, I would not have coped with the surgery so well. The anaesthetist seemed quite impressed!”

Barry’s Story

In June 2021, Barry approached KiActiv^® wanting to increase his moderate activity and to lose a bit of weight. He has Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder (COPD) and hypertension and was due to have surgery. 

Initially, Barry was surprised to learn how inactive he had become and quickly made dramatic changes to his physical activity. He was very pleased with the progress he made during the 12-weeks, improving significantly in all 4 dimensions and having “reached his goal”. After his final session he had his surgery and said that he coped with it well due to becoming fitter with KiActiv^® Health

He was shocked to find that at baseline he wasn’t doing any Moderate Bouts, and decided that going for a 1-hour walk every day was convenient for him. He was pleased that he stuck to it and found that he was enjoying walking more and noticed an improvement in his fitness. By halfway through the programme was achieving almost 500 minutes a week.

 “I’m doing enough moderate activity now; I’m not sitting around so much…I missed the walking. I’ve really enjoyed going out for walks and things”

During his time with KiActiv^® his physical activity increased significantly during the 12-weeks in all 4 dimensions. He almost tripled his daily Moderate Activity and increased his Non-Sedentary Time by 38% over the 12-weeks. He spent over 80% of the programme above his baseline levels of physical activity, demonstrating that he had made sustained changes to his lifestyle that will benefit his health now and in the future. He found the online platform and the calls with his KiActiv^® Mentor particularly motivating. 

“Its quite a good motivator…it’s all very interesting. I’m finding it quite interesting really… it’s very unintrusive, hardly notice it, dashboard not over complicated.” 

Barry’s family noticed that he had lost weight. He even went on holiday for a few days and was pleased that he did not put on any weight as he had eaten a lot whilst away and attributed his weight maintenance to his increased activity levels. He developed a new routine involving higher levels of activity and found he had become “used to doing much more.”

Shortly after finishing the programme, Barry had his surgery, he commented that “if I had not done the programme and become so much fitter, I would not have coped with the surgery so well.”

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