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I've Tried A Lot Of Workout Apps: Here's The One I've Stuck With
As society begins to reopen, I imagine I'm not the only one weathering the tug of war between quarantine habits and returning to what we used to love most. Because while staying at home was deeply challenging, many of us made changes for the better—like really committing to our fitness, eating more plants, or getting more sleep. Returning to "normalcy" can feel like we're leaving those healthy shifts behind.
My quarantine days certainly had their lulls, but I also used them to get serious about fitness. Without much else to do, I reconfigured my living room into the best makeshift gym possible and dove headfirst into the world of workout apps (didn't we all?)... I found myself doing workouts I would have never dared to in person... Kickboxing? Why not? Dance cardio in my pajamas? All about it. And through a lot of unabashed experimentation, I ended up hooked on one app, LES MILLS On Demand.
LES MILLS On Demand
The perfect workout app checklist.
Because the world is abundant in fitness apps and short on time, it's important to find the one that works and stick with it. Before my free trial even ended, I knew that app was LES MILLS On Demand—firstly because I'm a sucker for variety. LES MILLS On Demand offers over 1,000 workouts for all levels, with or without equipment, to meet virtually every mood. Instead of piecing different apps together, I found everything I wanted on one dashboard: from high-intensity workouts like BODYCOMBAT and the strength work of BODYPUMP to breathwork and mindfulness classes.
Secondly, I've found that for a digital workout platform to stick, it has to be high-quality. The production quality, paired with music that makes you want to move, is what made LES MILLS workouts stand out for me. These online classes feel like being right in the room with the instructor, which frankly, I've never felt on other apps. As we all know, home workouts require a greater degree of motivation, and the world-class LES MILLS instructors have made that an art form. Integrating LES MILLS On Demand into my quarantine fitness routine was seamless, leaving only results to be enjoyed.
I researched Les Mills to find out what it was that made this app different from others and was surprised to find that Les Mills has been making exercise videos for over 40 years, with the expert help of creative directors and exercise scientists. Les Mills himself is an iconic New Zealander: four-time Olympian; former national head track and field coach; and three-term mayor of Auckland, New Zealand's largest city. Back in 1968, he opened a gym in an effort to bring elite sports training methods to the wider community. Five decades later, the business has released 21 branded workouts and offers group classes to 21,000 gyms worldwide (also streamed directly into thousands of homes via LES MILLS On Demand).
As Jackie Mills, M.D., LES MILLS chief creative officer, describes: "Our job is to help people fall in love with fitness so they want to keep coming back, and they experience the huge benefits of lifelong exercise." My experience, to a tee.
Back to fitness IRL.
Quarantine illuminated the ease and convenience of working out at home. I found myself fitting in a 20-minute BODYFLOW class while the sweet potatoes were in the oven. Or getting my BODYPUMP on over my lunch break. By being stuck at home, I realized how many opportunities there are to sneak in a bit of movement... And that's not a revelation I want to give up! But at the same time, I can't wait to get back to the live gym experience with my friends, where we can push to the edge under the motivation of an awesome instructor.
But with LES MILLS On Demand, I don't have to. As I get back into the world, this app bridges the transition. LES MILLS is the world's only workout provider that offers an unmatched breadth of exercise options online as well as live workouts in gyms—again, LES MILLS classes are delivered in 21,000 fitness clubs across the planet. In other words: We get the best of both worlds. As we move forward into this post-pandemic lifestyle—the new recipe for fitness is a combination of home workouts and the gym time we've always loved.
The "new normal" of fitness.
In this new normal, we don't have to leave our newfound healthy habits behind, and we don't want to... Because even though the gyms are open again, the need for convenience is still as dire as ever. And now we know how to optimize the gaps in our schedules with a workout app.
Some days we'll have time for an in-club LES MILLS workout—enjoying the unbeatable motivation of working out with others in a live class, pumping with music. But when we're short on time, we can experience the same science-backed workouts and world-leading instruction at home. It's that consistency between the in-club and online fitness that truly makes LES MILLS the only fitness app I need. I've found that with intention and planning, this combination is actually taking my fitness to new heights.
LES MILLS On Demand
The bottom line: You deserve the best of both worlds.
To some extent, I think we're all feeling pressure to go back to life exactly as it was before the pandemic. But the reality is—we've been through so much. Our lives have changed in ways big and small, and we have learned a lot... Like how to make fitness fit into whatever time and space is available. And for me, that lesson is here to stay, alongside LES MILLS On Demand. The world is always changing, but the importance of moving whenever we want, wherever we want, is forever.
