Phoning it in for a healthier lifestyle

[attach]2746[/attach]Imagine losing weight sitting in front of your computer screen.

Okay, it’s not quite that easy nor quite that literal — but the high tech approach to weight loss that Jeff Ruby has developed means that the process of weight loss really can unfold on your laptop, in the comfort of your home.

Ruby’s two year old Toronto-area company Newtopia has recently launched various online and wireless technologies that he says make the process of losing weight easier and more accessible.

Part of his Newtopia program, a three-pillar approach focusing on exercise, nutrition, and behaviour management, the technology eliminates the need for people to physically go to a weight loss facility or meet with fitness experts.

“We remove the stigma of doing the walk of shame into your local weight loss centre,” Ruby says.

The technology allows potential clients to take an online lifestyle assessment that generates a wellness profile. Using this profile, a team of experts Ruby has amassed —from a registered dietician to a clinical psychologist — creates a customized nutrition, exercise and wellness plan the client can access online.

The benefit of generating a plan such as this online, Ruby says, is it’s easier to coral all that expertise from specialists working in different disciplines.

It’s just too logistically hard to get every one of those experts in one room to do an on-site assessment with a client, he says. Even if you could the costs would be prohibitively expensive for the client. The online alternative brings the cost down and makes what used to be only for rich celebrities a way more accessible service, he says.

Once on the program, clients can interact with an online coach using a Skype-like software Newtopia has developed to hold web cam conference calls.

The approach with the technology is individual-based and more private, Ruby says.

“We have lots of people who like the privacy.”

Clients can also use an online portal to track their progress against their plan by using some of the wireless tracking technology the company has developed.

The NewtopiaPed, for instance, clips on the shoe and converts physical activity like walking and running into calories burned. Once you get within 100 yards of your computer it will upload the data there and you can see if you’ve done enough exercise that day.

There’s also a wireless scale that functions in the same way. A person’s coach can also access information uploaded to the portal and provide recommendations or motivation to get the person moving even when not in a coaching session.

[attach]2747[/attach]So far Ruby and his team are working with clients in every province in the country and even have a client as far away as Whitehorse.

“It’s the way healthcare is going to move,” Ruby says.

“We’re on the forefront of it from a lifestyle perspective.”

Though Ruby initially started the business with the specialists and coaches working in an actual office, he knew he would be moving to this virtual format.

“I was terrified we’d lose that connection with people,” he says.

But interestingly, that hasn’t happened. It’s not just the inconvenience of traveling to and fro that’s been eliminated, he says. Since both clients and specialists can speak with one another from their homes and home offices, both parties are more at ease.

“You’ve created that comfort zone,” he says.