When AI Gets Personal: The Motivation Behind My AI Wellness Experiment

My son and daughter-in-law mentioned they had a wedding coming up in a few months that they would need to travel to. My twin grandchildren would need babysitting for about a week. The opportunity was there if my husband and I were interested. 

My heart said yes immediately. My body? Well, that was a different conversation entirely. 

I looked at myself honestly in that moment. At 61, I was facing the uncomfortable truth that many of us encounter: my health was sliding into the "not great" category. My last check-up revealed slightly elevated blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels. Not high enough for medication, but my doctor told me that if I wanted to stay off them, I should try and get my numbers down. 

But it was the thought of chasing after energetic twin grandchildren that really hit home. Could I get down on the floor to play with them and get back up without struggle? Could I keep up with their energy for an entire week? The honest answer made me uncomfortable. 

The Monday Motivation Cycle 

If you're carrying some extra weight, you likely may recognize this story. Over the years, I’ve tried everything: Weight Watchers, fad diets, intermittent fasting, Atkins, and countless other starts and stops. When asked if I had ever dieted, I would often chirp back - “How many Monday’s have there been?”. At the start of each week, I was going to "finally get serious" about my health. Each attempt would start with enthusiasm and soon fade within a week or two. 

The pattern was always the same: initial motivation, some early progress, then not enough progress or life would interfere and my old habits would creep back in only to find myself right back where I started – and sometimes even worse.  

Sound familiar? 

But this time felt different. This time, I had twin grandchildren counting on me to be present, engaged, and physically capable. This time, the stakes weren't just about fitting into old clothes or looking better in photos. This time, it was about being the grandparent I wanted to be. 

Enter Artificial Intelligence 

I've been fascinated by AI for a while now, watching it evolve and wondering about its practical applications beyond writing emails, generating images or summarizing content. 

Could artificial intelligence actually help with something as complex as personal health and wellness? Could it provide me with consistency and accountability that I'd struggled to maintain on my own? 

The more I thought about it, the more intrigued I became. AI would be there 24/7. It wouldn't judge my failures or get frustrated with my questions. I was wondering whether it could adapt and evolve with me as I learned what worked and what didn't. 

So I decided to conduct an experiment related to my personal wellness using AI. 

The Experiment Begins 

I selected Claude.ai as my AI platform for a couple of reasons. First, it’s best known for it’s rapid responsiveness and personalized approach. It’s also viewed as one of the top platforms promoting AI’s need for privacy and governance (which I also support). I also decided to only use the free version as I wanted to test these capabilities for anyone who had access to the internet.

So to get started, I opened up  a conversation in Claude.ai and asked it a simple question: "What information do you need to help me establish a 30-day health and wellness plan that would help me lose weight, get stronger, improve my vitals, and create something I can follow long-term?" 

What happened next surprised me. Instead of giving me a generic fitness plan or diet regimen, Claude asked many questions about my current health status, my lifestyle, my preferences, my challenges, and my goals. It wasn’t just about what I wanted to achieve but also about my personality and lifestyle. 

We had a number of discussions back and forth and then it crafted a personalized holistic 30-day plan that addressed not just my physical health, but mental and emotional wellness too. The plan included specific, achievable daily goals for nutrition, exercise, stress management, and sleep. I also asked for a detailed 30 day plan and some base recipes I could use. I was then presented with a final, 59 page plan document based on this conversation. 

The plan was great, it had listened to me and my lifestyle but here’s what I really wanted to test: I would use Claude (who I nicknamed my AI wellness coach) as my daily check-in partner and wellness coach. 

The Daily Partnership 

Every day, I would report back to my AI wellness coach. How did I feel? What worked? What was challenging? What obstacles came up? I wanted to see if it would be able to work with me to problem-solve and adjust strategies. I was looking for encouragement when I struggled and support to help me analyze patterns in my behavior and results. 

I also decided to document every single conversation. Not just for my own reference, but because I suspected this experiment might offer insights that might be interesting to share - whatever way they turned out. So, each day after every conversation I had with AI, I would ask for a summary of our discussion in the form of an article. 

What's at Stake 

This wasn’t just about losing a few pounds or getting stronger (though those are certainly goals). For me, it was about creating a sustainable foundation for (hopefully) the decades ahead. It's about being present and engaged with my family. It's about taking control of my health before it requires medical intervention. 

It's also about exploring how emerging technology can work for someone like me—a 61-year-old who's comfortable with everyday tech but curious about pushing beyond the basics to see what's possible.  

As I write this, I just completed the experiment. I won't spoil the results here – that's for the daily follow-up articles to share. But I will say this: the experience has been unlike anything I've tried before. 

Whether you're curious about AI's practical applications, struggling with your own "Monday motivation" cycle, or simply interested in seeing if I did well or failed, I invite you to follow along on my journey to find out whether this technology actually did provide me with some solutions and support in managing my health - or not.

Join me to see the results of my series entitled When AI Get Personal: What I Learned in 30 Days with an AI Wellness Coach – the successes, the challenges, and everything I learned about leveraging artificial intelligence for personal health support.

Interested in reading all my experiences and conversations so far? Check them out here!