Hi Hayley,

I am hoping you could do a review of streaming apps and your thoughts on incorporating them (I have recently signed up to obé and LOVE it. But there are also so many options now like Yoga with Adriene, Beach Body on Demand etc). I know it doesn't replace going to the gym but I personally find that I've been working out more using obé and I look forward to taking a mental break during the day and streaming with thousands of others. It's almost impossible for me to leave work, go to the gym, and come back within an hour.  

Again, would love to know your thoughts and any suggestions to keep a good balance between going to the gym/classes/streaming apps.

Thanks!

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Great question. Fitness is not a one size fits all kind of deal, which is why it is such a multimillion (maybe billion?) dollar industry. Everyone is trying to sell you the next best thing and make promises to you that if you work out using their method, or their equipment, all of your body worries will disappear.

Have you ever found the perfect pair of jeans and then told everyone that they must buy these pants because they will change their life? Or how about running shoes? You may swear by the brand that you wear, but your best mate swears by another. Neither one is bad, they just fit differently which is good because our bodies are different and our ideas of what makes the perfect jeans, or shoes, is different. I can guarantee your favourite pair of jeans (or shoes) eventually become boring and you are looking for something new. Fitness is just like that!

In the city that I live in we have almost as many fitness studios as we do coffee shops. We have small spin studios, boutique gyms, community fitness centers, CrossFit gyms, yoga studios, Pilates studios, regular gyms, HIIT gyms, boxing gyms, outdoor boot camps, running clubs, fancy centers that almost feel like night clubs, and craft breweries that offer evening workouts or Sunday social rides. It works because there is something out there for everyone. 

I used to swear by exercising outdoors only and I thought people who worked out inside were crazy (and extremely boring). Now, as I enter my late 30s and life’s priorities change, I love my yoga mat squished into a steamy hot studio with 40 other yogis. I still love to get out on my mountain bike, but a lot of my fitness loves have changed, which makes me grateful for all the options we have available to us.

So, to be honest with you I can’t tell you which app is better than the next. I wasn’t too familiar with obé but after taking a look at it seems fantastic. It gives you a sense of community without having to go to a gym. However, some may not like that and prefer using something simple like the Nike Training Club that they can do all by themselves. Yoga with Adriene is great but there are many other yoga apps out there that you may like more. Do Yoga With Me is one I like but only because I like the instructors. It doesn’t mean it is any better than what you like, just different. Make sense?

Don’t worry about what is the best app to use because there isn’t one. (I know that’s probably not the answer you were looking for.) What really matters is you like the app, it pushes you, makes you sweat, it holds you accountable and it challenges you to keep getting stronger. If you start getting bored of it try something new or try a few of them at one time so you are continuing to hear different cues and try different exercises. That's very similar to why people say they love the studio I work at which is because of how different each of us are who work there. No one is the best at teaching, but our differences in styles and cueing helps ensure our clients are constantly growing and being challenged. Just the other day I had to train another trainer’s client and in his hour workout he did not do one thing he had done before. My workout wasn’t any better than his regular trainer, but I just moved him in ways he hasn’t moved before. Just like fitness apps, not any better. Just different.