Digital Health App, Lifesum, Reveals New Data Analysis Report that Compares the Habits, Actions and Diets of Healthy versus Average People

​​​The digital health app, Lifesum, has released a new data analysis that takes a scientific look at what healthy people and average people do differently, providing insight for consumers pursuing healthy goals in 2020.

The report, A Case Study in Healthy Living - What Healthy People Do Differently, involved 70-thousand US consumers who logged their daily actions, exercise and diets for more than a year. Data scientists classified “healthy” and “average” based on Lifesum's Life Score, a weekly health score calculated by analyzing each user's nutritional intake, hydration, and exercise levels.

The CEO and founder of Lifesum, Henrik Torstensson, says this is a large scale data analysis that looks at the daily habits of healthy people and average people over the course of a year.

“If there were ever a blueprint on how to get healthy in 2020, this is it,” said Torstensson. “This report breaks down in detail what healthy people do differently than everyone else. And their actions are directly compared against others who are trying to get healthy but somewhere along the way fall short.”

A Case Study in Healthy Living - What Healthy People Do Differently 

Torstensson said Lifesum’s data scientists looked for lifestyle and actionable trends, to help identify goal posts everyone can follow. 

A closer look at Lifesum’s findings:

  • Healthy people snack more regularly throughout the week. On average, healthy people are over 70 percent more likely to snack 4 to 7 days a week compared to average people. Average people snack 14 percent of the time during the week, while healthy people snack 24 percent of the time. Their preferred snacks are bananas, apples, strawberries, peanut butter and raw blueberries - in that order. 

  • Healthy people engage more in activities that build muscle, like High Intensity Interval Training and strength training, while average people gravitate towards steady-state cardio, like walking and running. Healthy people are 15 percent more likely to exercise between 6-9 am. Average people are 25 percent more likely to work out after 9 pm. 

  • Healthy people are more focused on high protein diets and food for strength plans, while average people are more inclined to follow weight loss diets.

  • Average people skip breakfast twice as often as healthy people. 

  • Both healthy and average people weigh themselves weekly.

  • Close to half of all healthy people drink the daily recommended 64 ounces of water or more; 60 percent of average people don’t drink the recommended daily ounces of water.

  • Healthy people are 75 percent more likely to walk 10,000 daily steps than average people. And half of all healthy people walk at least 5,000 daily steps, compared to 36 percent of average people. The Sedentary Lifestyle Index found under 5,000 steps per day is an indicator of being inactive and sitting too much, raising health risks.

  • The most popular Lifesum recipe that both healthy and average people logged was bulletproof coffee - a drink consisting of brewed coffee, butter, coconut oil, and heavy cream. 

  • Healthy people take a daily average of 7,053 steps or 3.13 miles, while average people take a daily average of 5,644 steps or 2.51 miles.

  • Top 5 different foods logged by healthy people: avocado, spinach, blueberries, tomatoes, broccoli; Top 5 different foods logged by average people: white rice, whole milk, butter, scrambled eggs, fried egg.

Torstensson said this data analysis also provides context for people who aren’t sure what to do. 

“If you work out in the morning before work, it becomes part of your weekly routine,” said Torstensson. “You can’t skip the workout after work when you already completed it in the morning. Besides, how intensive can your workout be at 9 pm after you’ve worked all day and are lower on energy?”

Torstensson says consistently incorporating snacks into your daily routine or drinking the recommended daily amount of water might seem trivial but they reinforce healthy habits. 

“If you plan balanced meals and snacks throughout the day, you’re less likely to feel famished and overeat when the next meal comes,” said Torstensson. “If you consciously take 10,000 daily steps, more than likely, you are making an active effort to stay active. Maybe it’s parking farther at the grocery store, or walking to work, these daily routines will prevent a more sedentary lifestyle from taking root.”

How the Lifesum Data Analysis was Conducted

Lifesum issues a weekly Life Score to users based on their logged activity, which includes health factors, such as nutritional value, water intake, physical activity and others. Your initial Life Score is based on a Health Test consisting of 41 questions, but your weekly Life Score is based on 17 different metrics each week.

Data scientists queried for the most active members on the digital health app. Users defined as “healthy” had achieved Life Score of 130-150 over the course of a year, while users defined as “average” scored 70-90. Lifesum’s team examined the period between December 1, 2018 and December 8, 2019.  

About Lifesum

Roughly 35 million consumers log what they eat and drink, when they exercise, their weight and other lifestyle habits on Lifesum. Lifesum ranks in the Top-10 in the Health & Fitness section in the App Store and is the Editors’ Choice on Google Play.

Whether the user’s goal is to get fitter, lose weight or just lead a healthier lifestyle, Lifesum shows consumers how changing small habits and implementing them in everyday life can improve their overall health. Lifesum emphasizes the nutritional value of food, and continually gives users personalized feedback, helping them evaluate what works for them so they can successfully reach their health goals. 

Consumers can download Lifesum for free by clicking here.

Media Contact:

Mark Macias
mmm@maciaspr.com
646-770-0541

Source: Lifesum