Fitness Company and Fanshawe College Get Physical With the World

London, Ontario may soon help make the world a fitter place if LIVE360 and Fanshawe College have their way.

The college and the company are developing a series of unique health, nutrition and fitness applications for the web and smart phones to help the firm enter the global marketplace. Dubbed JAMII 1.0 - Swahili for "community" - the app will be available in early 2012 and is targeted at anyone who wants to improve their overall health, activity level and nutrition.

"Partnering with Fanshawe College is a dream come true for us, as it expands our company's development to include their cutting-edge expertise and a team-centric approach", says JAMII co-creator and LIVE360 CEO Marty Menard.

What makes JAMII unique is the integration of familiar social media tools that motivate users to exercise, eat better and live healthier. The team envisions a new kind of application that targets the underlying motivations of users to start, and most importantly, maintain a healthier lifestyle. Users can obtain information and individualized guidance from LIVE360 coaches, arrange classes or schedule onsite fitness training, all through the app. JAMII also will increase user engagement through challenges, motivational messaging, and redeemable points and rewards. The firm’s strategy includes partnerships with like-minded London businesses, and will offer users the opportunity to 'donate' their points and rewards to a wide range of community causes.

The project team includes Fanshawe researcher Prof. Rob Haaf, School of Contemporary Media, two other colleagues, multimedia students and staff from the London, ON-based company. It is funded by a CONII grant.