Tracking My Fitness Journey with Stepie
Have you ever started a fitness journey and felt overwhelmed by all the fancy tracking apps out there? That was me about one month ago. I just wanted something simple to track my weight and activity days without all the extra bells and whistles.
Why I Built Stepie Tracker
I've always believed that what gets measured gets improved. After trying a bunch of fitness apps that were either too complicated or wanted me to pay for features I'd never use, I decided to build my own solution.
The idea for Stepie Tracker was born from my simple need: track my weight consistently and visualize my progress toward my goals. I wanted to see my journey broken down into manageable mini-goals, which is actually where the name comes from - taking small "steps" toward a bigger goal.
The Core Features
I kept Stepie intentionally lightweight, focusing on what actually helps me stay motivated:
Simple Weight Logging - Just enter your weight and the date. That's it.
Visual Progress - The chart shows my weight trend over time, making it easy to see progress.
Mini-Goals - Breaking down my target into smaller steps makes the journey less daunting.
Activity Heatmap - Seeing my consistency visually helps me maintain my habits.
One of my favorite features is the mini-goals system. If you're trying to lose 30 pounds, seeing that as one big goal can be overwhelming. But breaking it down into six 5-pound goals? Suddenly it feels achievable. Each time you hit a mini-goal, you get that small dopamine hit that keeps you going.
The Tech Stack
For the tech-curious folks reading this, I built Stepie with:
React for the frontend
Chart.js for the visualizations
A simple NoCodeBackend service for data storage
I deliberately chose technologies that would let me iterate quickly but still create something polished and responsive. The app works well on both desktop and mobile, which was important since I mostly log my weight from my phone in the morning.
What I've Learned
Building and using Stepie has taught me a few things:
Consistency matters more than perfection - The heatmap makes this very clear
Progress isn't linear - My weight chart has plenty of ups and downs, but the trend line is what matters
Small wins compound - Hitting those mini-goals creates momentum
I've lost 5 pounds since I started using Stepie, and while the app isn't responsible for the work I put in at the gym, it has definitely helped me stay accountable and motivated.
What's Next for Stepie?
I'm keeping it simple, but I do have a few improvements planned:
Adding workout and diet tracking options (currently visible but not implemented)
Enabling goal sharing for accountability partners
Adding simple stats like weekly/monthly averages
Are there any simple tracking features you wish more fitness apps had? I'd love to hear about them!
Until then, I'll keep taking small steps toward my goals, one weigh-in at a time.
If you're interested in trying Stepie Tracker or contributing to the project, check out the GitHub repo at github.com/yourusername/stepie-tracker.