Interview with Ivan

Hey Ivan, thanks for taking the time to chat with us! Let’s start with a bit about you and the man behind the Gyroscope profile…

I’m a 54 year old Digital Solutions Architect. I design most of the software that powers the F1 website and app. I grew up on the Alps in northern Italy, not far from Venice and I’ve been living in London, UK,  for the past 18 years.

Running is my way to unwind, keep stress under control and take in stunning landscapes around me. Sometimes I take with me my Labrador, Luna.

Skiing gives me lots of joy, but I also love sitting by the fireplace reading a good non-fiction book.

What brought you to finding Gyroscope and what were/are your main reasons for using it?

I discovered Gyroscope watching some videos from Jonathan Levi, of the Speedemon series, some 10 years ago, I think.

At the time it was the first ever app giving you a number-backed view of your wellbeing.  Apple Health came much later, meaning that you needed to type in a lot of the data daily, with the exception for connectors for the main running apps, for automated collection of sport performance. I loved the integration with RescueTime, too, which helped me spotting inefficient use of my time when at the work laptop.

Nowadays, the app is really mature: it can spot the onset of stress, warns you sleep patterns that hit your wellbeing, gives you information about how to eat healthily whilst avoiding you lots of typing. 

Snap a picture of what to ate, or click “repeat” on one of your previous meals and you have a very detailed picture of your intake: calories, fibres, proteins, sugar. In the past 10 months Gyroscope helped me to rectify bad eating habits, telling me also about the chemistry behind food, whilst supporting my higher training regime - I was set to smash all my running records in 2025.

Who did know that at my age I had to almost double my previous protein intake? Gyroscope told me that and why, too. How can I find if I had enough fibre today? I can see that from Gyroscope, along with actionable insight “add  vegetables,  legumes, and whole grains to improve digestion an satiety”.  It also presents many details that my Apple Watch collects in a more digestible way.

Bottom line: I lost 8 kilograms in weight, gained muscle mass, I’m feeling more energetic than ever and I smashed my 5k, 10k, 10 miles personal bests by a margin in 2025. Can’t wait to beat also my half marathon PB on Sunday.

Amazing! Glad you have managed to utilize it to that extent and best of luck for your half marathon PB! How has Gyroscope helped you achieve your goals?

Gyroscope hasn’t given me a schedule to follow or some well detailed program - I created a Protocol to lose weight whilst boosting muscle mass and given an approximate time frame. Gyroscope has only shown me the way: increase my sleep to 7 hours a night, increase my protein intake to 130g/day limit calories intake between 1.7 and 2.2kcal day depending on whether I train or not. And the Protocols adjusts itself continuously.

Gyroscope also warns me when my alcohol intake negatively affects my sleep, mood and performance.  From time to time I’m served explanatory articles on the science behind the suggestions, that gave me a lot of insights into some bad habits. And there much more I’m using only occasionally, from meditations to various fitness tests and routines and an automated journal of where you’ve been.

When you are beginning to see results you become addicted to use it.

But don’t be impatient, give it a few weeks if you are a first timer.

What's been your favorite aspect or feature so far, and why?

First: health score, condensing in a single number out of 100 how you are doing, showing near it your levels of stress, energy, sleep, and HRV.

Today it says “84 - Your daily steps and protein intake remain excellent, but sleep time dipped below 7h and HRV fell alongside a slight uptick in stress”.

Second: Food tracking. It got better and better over the years thanks to the latest AI developments, of course. Today I’m confident that that over 90% of the times Gyroscope understands ingredients, portion sizes and nutritional value at the first attempt.

If I exceed the suggested daily calories, I now do it consciously.

Third: the AI coach, reachable via call or chat. I used it a couple of times, it’s great.

What aspects of health do you struggle with the most right now?

Sleep quality, limiting calorie intake, eating enough protein and fibre daily. The help comes from seeing at a quick glance in a dashboard how to rectify your behaviour. No need to tell me what to do - and I believe many people don’t like being told what to do.

If you were to describe Gyroscope in 1-2 sentences, what would you say?

Gyroscope is the scientific dashboard of your body, in real time. It is the accountability buddy in your pocket,  showing the way to improve your wellbeing: no patronising, no judging.

Cheers Ivan!