Features

First Strides helps you restart: a gentle weekly plan at home, a video for every exercise, a coach that knows you, and meals and shopping, all on your iPhone.

Weekly plans at home

• Tell the app what equipment you have (even just a mat), what you enjoy and how much time you have.
• Every week the coach builds a new plan: walks, yoga, stretching and light strength sessions, never too hard, always a little different.
• Weekly plans with videos are part of First Strides Plus.

Every exercise, explained

• Simple step-by-step instructions and the common mistakes to avoid.
• A real video that shows the right technique. Videos come from YouTube and play in a window inside the app (you need an internet connection). If one is missing, you can search for another.
• Training with a partner? You also get a few things to check on each other, because nobody else is watching your form.
• Video search is part of First Strides Plus.

The AI coach

• Chat about your week, what to eat tonight or whether to train today.
• It remembers your tastes, allergies and routine, and looks at your weight, meals, steps, sleep and workouts to adjust the plan.
• It answers in the language of the app. It is not a doctor: for health problems, medicines or pain it points you to a professional.
• The coach is part of First Strides Plus and runs on your own Claude key.

Meals and shopping list

• Ask for a 7-day meal plan built around your goal and your preferences (part of First Strides Plus).
• The shopping list builds itself from the plan, with quantities for one or two people.
• Log your meals and see calories and macros at a glance.

Progress and Apple Health

• Weight and body composition charts, daily steps, workouts and sleep, all in one place.
• It works with Apple Health and Apple Watch, so your data arrives by itself. Access is optional and you control it.
• Weight, body fat and lean mass that you enter by hand can be saved to Apple Health.

Better together

• Send your weekly plan, meals and shopping list to your partner with a tap.
• The app creates a file that you share yourself (Messages, AirDrop…). We never see it.

Reminders

• Gentle reminders for today's session and a weekly check-in.
• They are notifications on your iPhone: iOS asks for your permission, and you can turn them off at any time in iOS Settings.

Your own AI key

• The coach and the plan generator run on Claude, by Anthropic, with your own API key, stored only in your iPhone's Keychain.
• You pay Anthropic directly for what you use, separately from the subscription: usually a few cents.
• Getting the key takes about 10 minutes, once. See the step-by-step key guide (it is also built into the app).

Price

• First Strides is free to download. Weight, meals, shopping list, Apple Health, reminders and sending plans to your partner stay free.
• First Strides Plus unlocks the coach, weekly plans with videos, meal plans and video search: €9.99 per year after a 7-day free trial (the price may vary by country).
• Payment is charged to your Apple Account at confirmation of purchase. The subscription renews automatically unless canceled at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can manage or cancel it in Settings › your name › Subscriptions.
• Terms of Use (Apple's standard) · Privacy Policy

Private by design

• No account, no ads, no analytics, no tracking. We run no servers that receive your data.
• Your data stays on your iPhone. Only if you give explicit consent, and only when you make a request to the coach, a summary goes straight from your iPhone to Anthropic. The details are in the privacy policy.

Designed for iPhone

• Requires iOS 17 or later.
• The app is available in English, Italian, French, German and Spanish, and picks its language from your iPhone settings (English if yours is not supported).
• For adults (18 or older).

What it does not do (yet)

• It is not a medical service and does not replace your doctor or a nutritionist.
• It does not sync between devices: no iCloud, no account. To share plans with a partner you send a file.
• The coach, weekly plans, meal plans and video search need First Strides Plus, your own Claude key and an internet connection.
• It is designed for training at home, not for gym programs.