The Problem With Most Health Apps
Over the last ten years, I’ve become increasingly interested in health, fitness, recovery, and longevity. Like many people, I’ve tried different programs, apps, wearables, supplements, and coaching approaches. Some worked better than others, but I always found myself running into the same problem.
I had plenty of information, but I still wasn’t always sure what I should do.
Should I work out today or take a recovery day? Should I push harder or back off? Should I focus on strength, cardio, mobility, or sleep? Every app seemed to give me more data, but very few helped me make decisions.
How AI Changed My Health Routine
About a year ago, I started experimenting with AI in a way that was much more personal. I began feeding it workout history, health information, recovery metrics, DEXA scans, wearable data, and notes about my goals. Over time, it developed a surprisingly deep understanding of my situation.
What I discovered was that the value wasn’t in the analysis itself. The value was having a trusted answer to a simple question:
“What should I do today?”
The recommendations weren’t perfect, but they felt personal. The system knew what equipment I had available, what exercises I liked and disliked, where I had struggled in the past, and how I was recovering. Instead of following a generic program designed for millions of people, I was following something that felt like it was designed specifically for me.
The result was the most consistent period of training I’ve ever had.
What Is OS Health?
That experience eventually led me to start OS Health.
The vision is straightforward. Most health tools help people collect information. I want to explore whether AI can help people turn that information into better daily decisions.
The idea isn’t to replace doctors, trainers, or common sense. It’s to help answer the question many of us face every day:
“What should I do next?”
OS Health is being designed for people who use wearables such as Garmin and Apple Health and want personalized guidance based on recovery, workout history, and health goals. Instead of providing more dashboards and charts, the goal is to provide a clear daily recommendation that helps users decide what to do next.
I’m still very early in the process. The company has been formed, the website is live, and I’m currently interviewing people to understand how they make decisions about their health, fitness, recovery, and longevity.
I don’t know exactly where this will lead, and that’s part of the fun. Right now I’m focused on learning, talking to people, and figuring out whether the problem I’m trying to solve is something others experience too.
I’ll share what I learn along the way.
— Mark
If you’re interested in personalized health coaching, wearable technology, longevity, or AI-powered health tools, I’d love to hear from you. You can learn more at oshealth.coach.
Mark Dorsey 