Keep on track with new Workout Challenge app
Sport and fitness: Entrepreneurs say app will help people commit to health kick
Taplow’s Bianca Fashanu and her cousins from Bracknell have launched a fitness app this month which they hope will revolutionise people’s commitment to health, exercise and mental well-being.
Bianca, 29, and her cousins Fraser and Lyle Duncan have created a fitness app called ‘The
Workout Challenge’ which will task people with starting and sticking to a fitness regime over the course of a full year.
The Workout Challenge app gives people a goal of completing 150, 200 or 250 workouts over the course of a year, which works out to three, four or five workouts a week with two weeks off.
You can log and track your workouts throughout the year and there will also be hints, tips, techniques as well as fitness classes to follow.
Bianca and her cousins are also in talks with various mental health charities about promoting the work they do.
“We found that no one really tracks their workouts for a year, just to find out how many they’ve done or to commit to something,” she said.
“Our app is about getting people to commit to something, and this will help hold them accountable to that commitment.
“It will also help people with their mental and physical wellbeing.
“This could be for people who work out five times a week and just want to prove to themselves that they can meet a target.
“It can be for people of all different ages, a family challenge or a workplace challenge.
“For me personally it’s been good because I struggled to keep things up and hold myself accountable. It’s helped me mentally and physically and we’ve found that no other fitness app has that.”
The idea came about after Bianca’s cousin entered into a bet with a friend to see if he could complete 250 workouts over the course of a year, a challenge he eventually met at the second attempt and the three of them realised there wasn’t anything on the market which helped people to track their workouts over an entire calendar year.
Bianca, who went to Windsor Girls School and grew up in Slough, believes the app has many unique selling points.
It was launched on Friday (November 20), giving those who sign up the chance to prepare for their challenge starting from January 1.
“We’ve done the challenge with close friends and family so far,” she said.
“But we’re launching the app this month for people to get started from January 1.
“Our social media has 1213,000 people and we’re posting new content every day and people will have a month and a bit to build themselves up for the commitment. We’re getting a lot of uptake.
“We’ve got a good app company that has the stuff we need and it’s compatible with most sports watches such as Fitbit and Apple.
“We class 20 minutes of moving your body in any way as a workout.
“So, if you go for a walk or play 20 minutes of football or tennis, whatever is your niche.
“We don’t want to make people go down to the gym to do this, we’re here to provide a lot of resources but, for example, you could do a Jiujitsu class and log that as a workout, even if it doesn’t translate to a Fitbit.
“We know people struggle to stick to things and it’s been a crazy year, but this app just allows you to be accountable and there will also be push notes saying, ‘you’re doing a great job’, you’re quarter of the way towards your goal. You can check the metrics, see if you’ve lost weight or your clothes size has gone down.
“It might be that you want to meditate more or use workouts for mental health benefits. We’re working with some small mental health companies to push content through this app.”
She added: “Those who sign up will be sent a starter pack which will include a calendar, because some people still prefer to use a calendar, a Challenger tshirt and some other bits and pieces.”
For more information visit https://www.theworkoutchallenge.co.uk/