How to Use AI Coach, Work With a Coach, and Explore on My Own Together

How to Use AI Coach, Work With a Coach, and Explore on My Own Together

On the Home screen, Body By Belmars gives you three paths to start your journey:

1. AI Coach
2. Work With a Coach
3. I’ll Explore on My Own

They’re not competing options. Think of them as three tools you can use at different stages, depending on how much support you want.

1. AI Coach – Fast, on-demand guidance

What it is

The AI Coach is your built-in digital coach for:

• Fitness questions
• Exercise ideas
• Training structure
• Nutrition basics and food choices

You chat with it like you text someone, and it responds instantly—24/7.

What it’s good for

Use AI Coach when you:

• Want help getting started (“What’s a good 3-day plan for a beginner?”)
• Need clarity (“Is it okay to split my workout into two sessions?”)
• Want suggestions on how to use the app features to support your goals
• Need help understanding basic nutrition and exercise concepts

What it won’t do

• It does not give medical advice.
• It won’t diagnose injuries or health conditions.
• It stays in the lane of fitness and nutrition, not medicine.

How to use it

1. On the Did You Know screen, tap AI Coach.
2. Type your question into the “Just ask!” box.
3. (Optional) Tap the microphone to dictate your question.
4. Tap Send and wait for the response.
5. Use follow-up questions to refine your plan.

Pro tip

After AI Coach suggests a plan, you can:

• Use the Journal to log what you actually do.
• Create a Group Program to track your progress over weeks.
• Ask AI Coach how to adjust based on what you’re logging.

2. Work With a Coach – Human guidance and accountability

What it is

Work With a Coach sends a request to a real coach, dietitian, or trainer connected to Body By Belmars.
It’s best when you want another human being watching your progress and helping you adjust.

What it’s good for

Use this when you:

• Want accountability and regular check-ins
• Have specific goals (e.g., fat loss for an event, rebuilding after time off)
• Want someone to look at your logs, not just answer theoretical questions
• Prefer human decisions on your training or nutrition

How it works

1. From the Did You Know screen, tap Work With a Coach.
2. Fill out the form:
   • Your name
   • Your email
   • Your message (goals, current training, start timeline)
3. Submit the form.
4. The request is emailed to support@bodybybelmars.com.
5. A coach or team member can then reach out to you based on what you wrote.

If you change your mind and want to learn the app on your own first, tap:

• “I’ll explore on my own instead” at the bottom of the form.

3. I’ll Explore on My Own – Learn the tools step by step

What it is

I’ll Explore on My Own is the help section for people who like to click around and understand the app themselves.

It explains:

• How Programs and Group Programs work
• How to use the Journal and daily tracking
• How to work with Workouts and the Workout Timer
• How to manage your account & profile

Help topics are shown as expandable sections (accordions) with plain text and images.

What it’s good for

Use this when you:

• Like to understand how things work in detail
• Prefer to set up your own systems: programs, journal routines, etc.
• Want step-by-step instructions you can revisit anytime

How to use it

You can open it from:

• Did You Know → I’ll Explore on My Own, or
• The main menu (hamburger icon) → Help / Explore on my own.

Then:

1. Scroll through topics like:
   • Programs & Group Programs
   • Journal & Check-ins
   • Workouts & Progress
   • Account & Profile
2. Tap a topic to expand and read the explanation.
3. Use the bottom tabs to jump straight into the feature you just learned about.

How to Combine All Three Paths

Here’s how they fit together in a realistic journey.

Scenario A: “I want to get started today, even if I’m not perfect.”

1. Ask AI Coach
   • “I’m a beginner. I can train 3 days a week. What should I do?”
2. Read the plan & adapt it
   • Use AI Coach to tailor it to your time, equipment, and energy.
3. Set up tracking
   • Go to Programs → Group Program and create a 4-week program.
   • Use the Journal every day to log food, workouts, and water.
4. If you get stuck
   • Use I’ll Explore on My Own to learn how each feature works deeper.

Scenario B: “I want a coach watching my progress.”

1. Use I’ll Explore on My Own
   • Learn the basics of Journal and Programs so you can log properly.
2. Work With a Coach
   • Send a detailed coaching request explaining your goals and current routine.
3. Create or join a program
   • Once your coach sets you up or invites you, accept via Notifications.
   • You’ll see the program under Programs → In Progress and in Shared with me.
4. Log everything in the Journal
   • Your coach will see your food entries, progress, and limited profile info:
     • Age, Gender, Height, Weight loss so far, BMI
     • Not your email or login details.
5. Use Chat to stay connected
   • Use the Chat tab to talk to your coach in real time.

Scenario C: “I’m independent, but I still want smart help.”

1. Start with I’ll Explore on My Own
   • Learn how to:
     • Create a Group Program for yourself
     • Use the Journal
     • Use Workouts and the Workout Timer
2. Use AI Coach as your consultant
   • Ask questions like:
     • “Is my plan balanced?”
     • “How should I adjust if I miss a workout?”
     • “How can I structure my week around my favorite classes?”
3. Run programs solo
   • Create a program, log everything, review your progress in Completed.

Which path should I tap first?

• If you want quick direction → Start with AI Coach.
• If you want a human checking on you → Start with Work With a Coach.
• If you want to learn the app features first → Start with I’ll Explore on My Own.

You’re not locked into one path.

You can:

• Use AI Coach for ideas,
• Use I’ll Explore on My Own to learn the tools, and
• Use Work With a Coach + sharing when you want a real person watching your progress.

If you ever forget where to go:

• Tap the green question-mark button on Home
  → it always brings you back to the Did You Know screen with all three options.

How Programs and Sharing Work in Body By Belmars

How Programs and Sharing Work in Body By Belmars

What is a program?

A program in Body By Belmars is a time-boxed tracking plan that focuses on:

• Calories consumed
• Calories burned
• Weight loss

Programs can be:

• Solo – just for you, or
• Group – shared with others (coach, dietitian, clients, or friends).

Programs do not automatically generate workouts; you choose what you do and log it in the Journal.

1. The Programs Tab

Open the Programs tab (bottom navigation).

You’ll see two sections:

• In Progress – programs you’re currently running.
• Completed – programs you’ve finished.

If you haven’t created anything yet, In Progress will show:

“No program found. Start a new program by clicking on +”

In the bottom-right, there’s a floating + button.

Tap it to open the Programs menu:

• Workouts – a list of workout articles you can follow.
• Group Program – create a program (solo or group).
• Workout Timer – a general timer tool (independent of tracking).

Tap the X to close the menu again.

2. Creating a Program

To create your own program:

1. Go to Programs.
2. Tap the floating +, then tap Group Program.
3. Fill in the form:
   • Program Name
     • Example: “4 Week Fat Loss Program”.
   • Program type
     • Toggle Group Program on if you want to share it with others.
     • Toggle it off if you want to use it only for yourself.
   • Start Date
     • Choose when you want the program to begin.
   • Duration
     • Select how many weeks the program will run.
4. Tap Save.

What happens next:

• The program appears under In Progress as a card.
• When you go to Journal, it now shows:
  • The program name.
  • The current week.
  • Day selector (Sun–Sat).
• As you log food, workouts, and weight changes, the program uses that data for tracking.

3. Understanding the Program Card

In Programs → In Progress, each card shows:

• Program name (e.g., 4 Week Fat loss Program).
• Number of Users in the program.
• Number of Weeks.
• Current day inside the timeline.

Icons on the card:

• Top-right:
  • Share icon – share the program with someone else.
  • Edit (pencil) – change name, start date, or duration.
• Bottom row:
  • User list icon – see who’s in the program.
  • User + icon – invite or add participants.
  • Trash icon – delete or leave the program (with confirmation).

Tapping anywhere on the body of the card typically takes you into that program’s context (e.g., Journal and Articles for that program).

4. In Progress vs Completed

• In Progress
  • Programs you’re currently running.
  • These drive your program Journal view.
• Completed
  • Programs you’ve finished.
  • For each completed program you can usually see:
    • Program name.
    • Program duration.
    • Calories consumed over the program.
    • Calories burned.
    • Total weight loss.
  • You can also delete old completed programs if you no longer need the history.

5. What’s the difference between Workouts and Programs?

This is important:

• Workouts (in the Programs menu):
  • Are articles with instructions (managed on the Body By Belmars website).
  • You read them and follow the workout.
  • They do not automatically start or join a program.
  • If you want them tracked, you log them as workouts in the Journal.
• Programs / Group Programs:
  • Are tracking containers over a number of weeks.
  • They track your calories consumed, calories burned, and weight loss.
  • They can be solo or shared with others.

You might, for example, create a 4-week fat loss program, use workouts from the Workouts section, and log those sessions in the Journal under that program.

6. Sharing a Program with Someone

You can share a program with:

• A coach
• A dietitian or nutritionist
• A trainer
• A friend or client

To share:

1. Go to Programs → In Progress.
2. Find the program card you want to share.
3. Tap the share icon (three connected dots) on the top-right of the card.
4. Choose how you want to send the invite (depending on your device).

The person you shared with will:

• See a program invitation on their Notification screen.
• The invitation shows:
  • Who it’s from.
  • The program name.
• They can:
  • Tap the green checkmark to accept, or
  • Tap the red trash to decline.

If they accept:

• The program appears under Programs → In Progress for them.
• It also appears in their Shared with me list (via the side menu).

7. What others can see when you share a program

When someone has a shared program with you, they can:

1. See the program context
   • Program name.
   • How many weeks the program runs.
   • Where you are in the timeline (week/day).
2. See your tracking data
   • Your food entries for the program (what you logged in the Journal).
   • Your progress in terms of calories and weight over time.
3. See limited profile information
   • Age
   • Gender
   • Height
   • Weight loss so far
   • BMI
4. Chat with you in real time
   • They can open a secure chat with you inside the app.
   • You’ll see those messages in your Chat tab.

They cannot see:

• Your email address
• Your login details
• Other private account settings

Only the fields above are shared for coaching and tracking purposes.

8. Shared with Me

To see programs that other people have shared with you:

1. Tap the menu (three lines) at the top left.
2. Select Shared with me.

You’ll see a list of programs, each showing:

• Program name (e.g., “4 Week Fat loss Program”).
• Who shared it with you (e.g., your coach’s name).
• Icons to:
  • View schedule or dates.
  • Open a chat with the owner.
  • View profile/participant info.

You can tap a program to jump into its tracking context.

9. Leaving or Deleting a Program

If you no longer want to be in a program:

• Go to Programs → In Progress.
• Find the program card.
• Tap the trash icon.
• Confirm you want to delete/leave.

What happens:

• It’s removed from In Progress.
• Depending on how you use the app, you may still see high-level data in Completed or it may be fully removed.

If you’re not sure whether to delete, you can also ask your coach via Chat to remove you from their shared program.

Getting Started with Your Journal & Daily Tracking

Getting Started with Your Journal & Daily Tracking

What the Journal does

The Journal tab is your daily control center.
It’s where you track:

• What you eat (Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Snacks)
• What you do (workouts and activity)
• How much water you drink
• Your daily calorie balance (food vs exercise)

You can use the Journal with or without a program. The logging works the same either way.

1. Basic Journal vs Program Journal

There are two versions of the Journal:

A) Basic Journal (no program running)

You’ll see this when you don’t have an active program.

• Title at the top: “Journal”
• One main card showing:
  • Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner / Snack (each with calories)
  • Workout (calories burned)
  • Water (bottles)
  • A calorie gauge showing:
    • Red = calories eaten
    • Green = calories burned
    • Remaining calories for the day

You can still log everything normally. It’s just not tied to a named program.

B) Program Journal (when a program is active)

When you have an active program, the Journal adds more context:

• At the top:
  • Program name (e.g., “4 Week Fitness Program”)
  • Week number (e.g., “Week: 1”)
• A daily motivational quote
• A row of days: Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat
  • Tap a day to see and edit that day’s entries.

Food, workouts, water, and the calorie gauge work exactly the same.
The only difference is: now your entries sit inside a program timeline.

2. Logging Food

On any Journal view:

1. Go to the Journal tab.
2. Tap the meal you want to log:
   • Breakfast
   • Lunch
   • Dinner
   • Snack

This opens the Add Food screen.

On the Add Food screen you can:

• Search for a food
  • Use the search bar at the top.
  • The app uses the FatSecret USA database to find nutrition info.
• Snap Your Meal
  • Tap Snap Your Meal.
  • Use your camera to:
    • Take a photo of your meal, or
    • Scan a barcode.
  • The app uses image recognition and barcode scanning to suggest foods and log them automatically.
• Use Recent food entries
  • Under Recent food entries, tap a food you’ve used before.
  • It instantly logs one default serving for that meal.
• Create a custom food
  • Tap the + icon next to the search bar.
  • Enter your own food name and nutrition info.
  • Your custom food is saved and appears in Recent food entries for quick reuse.

After you add food, the Journal will:

• Update the calories for that meal.
• Update your daily calorie gauge (red side).

3. Logging Workouts

1. Go to Journal.
2. Tap the Workout section on the card.

You’ll see the Add Workout screen.

You must fill in:

• Activity name
  • Example: “Muay Thai class”, “30 min run”, “Walk to the bus station”.
• Duration (minutes)
  • How long the activity lasted.
• Burned Calories
  • How many calories you estimate you burned.
• Rate of Perceived Exertion (RPE)
  • A number from 1 to 10:
    • 1–3: Light activity
    • 4–6: Moderate
    • 7–8: Vigorous
    • 9–10: Max effort

Tap Add to save.

What happens next:

• The workout is saved immediately for that day.
• You return to the Journal card.
• The Workout value updates.
• The green side of the calorie gauge increases.

You can later edit or delete logged workouts from the Journal.

4. Tracking Water

1. In Journal, tap Water.
2. This opens the Water screen.

Here you can:

• See the current date (e.g., Today) and use the left/right arrows to move between days.
• Tap Add Water to log more water.

By default:

• Each entry counts as one bottle (16.9 fl.oz).

The total bottles for that day show back on the main Journal card.

5. Looking at History & Different Days

You’re not stuck on today.

• On the basic Journal:
  • Tap the green stack icon in the top-right.
  • This opens a calendar.
  • Choose any date to view or edit that day’s entries.
• On the program Journal:
  • Use the Sun–Sat row to jump between days within the current week.
  • You can still use the date/calendar behaviour where available to review earlier periods.

Your logs stay in history even if you later start or finish a program.

6. Quick recap

• Journal works with or without programs.
• You can always log:
  • Food (meals + snacks)
  • Workouts (with RPE and calories)
  • Water (bottles)
• The calorie gauge helps you see:
  • Red = eaten
  • Green = burned
  • Remaining = how much room you have left

If you want deeper coaching on how to eat or train, use:

• AI Coach on the Home screen, or
• Work With a Coach to contact a real coach.