HeyUp: Daily Movement Breaks turns television, home-office and everyday screen time into opportunities for short, equipment-free movement breaks.
SHEFFIELD, England — 22 August 2026 — Michael “Mick” O’Neil Brown, a Sheffield-born former plasterer with no previous software-development experience, has launched an iPhone app designed to help people incorporate short, manageable movement breaks into everyday life.
Mick, who turns 62 on 1 October, grew up around Sheffield’s Hyde Park Flats. He delivered newspapers there and worked in a local shop as a teenager, attended City School, and spent ten years working as a plasterer before leaving Sheffield for Canada at 27.
His new app, HeyUp: Daily Movement Breaks, takes its name from the familiar Yorkshire greeting. Although Mick spent more than 30 years in Canada and now lives in Thailand with his wife, Darlene, his connection to Sheffield has remained strong. His mother still lives in the city.
The Yorkshire identity is also built into the experience. When a movement break is ready, users can choose a spoken “Ey up!” alert, in addition to a gentle chime or a silent on-screen notification.
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“The Yorkshire connection isn’t just in the name. When it’s time to get moving, the app can actually call out ‘Ey up!’ It is a little piece of Sheffield built into HeyUp wherever in the world you happen to be.” — Mick Brown, founder of HeyUp |
A practical idea born from experience
HeyUp was inspired by Mick’s experience of getting older and finding practical ways to remain active without always relying on a gym. In his mid-50s, he noticed that he was gaining weight and losing muscle. He became increasingly conscious of the role strength can play in mobility, confidence and independence later in life.
Part of the idea developed while Mick and Darlene were staying in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, without access to a gym. They exercised together using bodyweight movements such as push-ups, sit-ups and squats. By remaining consistent and gradually completing more repetitions, Mick noticed himself becoming stronger.
During a later hotel stay, they added another element: a phone timer prompting them to stop periodically for a short round of movement. That combination—accessible exercises, regular reminders, gradual progress and accountability—became the foundation of HeyUp.
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“We weren’t finding another hour in the day or looking for a gym. We were using a few minutes that were already there. I could see myself getting stronger by remaining consistent and progressively doing more, and I realised the same approach could help other people get moving.” — Mick Brown, founder of HeyUp |
Turning screen time into move time
HeyUp is designed around three familiar situations: watching television, working from home and going about daily life. Users choose their situation, how frequently they want a movement reminder and how long they want the overall session to continue. They then select an exercise and a manageable repetition target.
Options include wall push-ups, knee push-ups, squats, seated squats, seated leg raises and seated arm raises. No gym, weights or specialist equipment are required. The app uses the iPhone camera to count completed repetitions and records progress without requiring the user to count manually. Body-pose detection happens privately on the device; camera footage is not recorded, stored or uploaded.
A person watching a two-hour film, for example, could complete two wall push-ups every 30 minutes. That would add eight intentional repetitions to time that might otherwise have been completely sedentary. Someone completing five repetitions every 30 minutes during a four-hour session would accumulate 40 repetitions.
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“Most of us know we should move more, but remembering and remaining consistent are often the difficult parts. HeyUp acts like an accountability partner. It reminds you, counts for you and shows you what you have accomplished. You can begin with two repetitions if that is right for you and build from there.” — Mick Brown, founder of HeyUp |
A first-time founder, assisted by AI
Mick first considered the idea more than a year ago. The original concept focused entirely on television and carried the working name FlexFlix. He assumed that turning it into a real app would require a substantial budget and a conventional development team. Rapid advances in generative AI and “vibe coding” changed what appeared possible.
Codex and Claude helped generate and refine the code while Mick supplied the concept, product decisions, direction and testing, and worked through Apple’s development process. He created a working version in approximately one intensive week.
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“I’m not claiming that I suddenly became a traditional programmer or wrote all the code myself. AI helped generate the code, but I had to bring the idea, make the decisions, test it and learn how all the pieces fitted together. I worked on it night and day.” — Mick Brown, founder of HeyUp |
After moving to Canada, Mick’s career included telecommunications sales with Bell Canada and work as a realtor. More recently, he has pursued projects involving entrepreneurship, apps, AI and digital marketing. He jokingly refers to his habit of learning online as attending “YouTube University”.
His route from Sheffield paperboy and plasterer to first-time app founder approaching 62 is part of the broader message he wants HeyUp to represent.
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“It is not too late to begin something new. That applies to building an app and it applies to movement. Start where you are, do what is manageable and keep showing up. I just want to get people moving.” — Mick Brown, founder of HeyUp |
Availability and pricing
HeyUp launched on the Apple App Store on 26 July 2026. Its free plan provides three movement breaks every week indefinitely, with no subscription required. UK Pro pricing is £6.99 monthly or £39.99 annually. Through 31 August 2026, a limited-time Founder’s Lifetime purchase is available in the UK for £59.99, providing permanent Pro access with one payment rather than an ongoing subscription. A seven-day Pro trial is also available. App Store prices vary by country and region.
Download HeyUp: Daily Movement Breaks from the Apple App Store, or visit heyup.fit.
About HeyUp
HeyUp: Daily Movement Breaks is an iPhone wellness and movement-reminder app created by Sheffield-born founder Michael “Mick” O’Neil Brown. It helps users place short, equipment-free movement breaks into television time, home working and everyday routines. Users choose a schedule, exercise and repetition target; HeyUp provides reminders, counts repetitions using private on-device body-pose detection, and records progress. HeyUp is a general wellness app and does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.