Over the previous 14 months I’ve misplaced greater than 35 kilos understanding primarily in VR.
I’ve by no means loved train. I prevented gyms. I may by no means stick with any sort of routine, and nothing clicked. Then I began wanting by the various VR health apps and what stunned me essentially the most was how a lot enjoyable I discovered exploring them.
What made VR totally different for me was the atmosphere. There was no judgment, no mirrors, no stress to compete. I didn’t must drive anyplace or psych myself up for a crowded class. I may simply placed on the headset and begin shifting – in my very own house, by myself phrases. That shift made health really feel much less like a chore and extra like one thing I truly wished to do. I started wanting ahead to getting “in-headset” and dealing up a sweat. The mixture of motion, music, gamified interplay, and full-body immersion created one thing I hadn’t discovered anyplace else. It wasn’t simply tolerable. It was enjoyable.
As I examined out VR health apps, a number of shortly grew to become a part of my common routine. Considered one of them was an early-access app with a humorous title: FunFitLand. I downloaded it early in my health journey, and early of their improvement journey as effectively – the app was in Alpha launch stage once I first used it in early 2024. On the time, it was nonetheless evolving, however one thing about it grabbed me immediately.
Health Dancing & Fight With Hand Monitoring & Controllers
To me, FunFitLand feels very gentle and approachable. Michael Zhang, CEO of DelightScape Interactive and the creator of FunFitLand, informed me the concept began together with his mom. She wished to remain lively however couldn’t join with conventional train routines. That problem grew to become the inspiration for the app’s design. It goals to make motion really feel approachable and enjoyable, particularly for individuals who don’t see themselves as typical health “sorts”.
“We have to decrease the barrier for individuals to reconnect with themselves. Motion. Mindfulness. Internal energy. This stuff shouldn’t be luxuries. They need to be accessible to everybody,” Zhang wrote in a ready assertion.
A major quantity of my time in FunFitLand, notably when dancing, has been utilizing hand monitoring. In loads of VR apps, hand monitoring can really feel unreliable or gimmicky. However right here, it feels intentional and expressive.
I bear in mind one in all my first periods clearly. I selected a DanceFit routine anticipating to only take a look at the mechanics. Ten minutes in, I used to be utterly absorbed – not simply shifting however having fun with myself. The atmosphere is vibrant, the pacing is easy, and the voice steerage struck the fitting tone. It isn’t overwhelming, and it doesn’t really feel like it’s attempting too exhausting to be motivational. It feels sincere. I got here out of the session sweaty, smiling, and genuinely stunned at how a lot I wished to do one other one.
Of all of the health apps in my rotation, Supernatural attracts the closest comparability to FunFitLand. Supernatural was one of many earliest and most polished health choices out there on the Quest platform, and Meta bought Supernatural in 2021 to carry it in-house. It’s simple to see why it’s so well-liked and FunFitLand shares a few of that DNA.
In FunFitLand, the music is licensed from “largely impartial artists to the world for the primary time” and the environments are breathtaking, with flow-state and boxing routines being thoughtfully crafted. It additionally locations you in lovely environments and guides you thru full-body motion. However there are key variations. Rather than Supernatural’s Move mode, FunFitLand affords DanceFit, which feels much less about structured repetition and extra about expressive motion. As a substitute of summary triangles and orbs, FunFitLand’s CombatFit boxing makes use of colourful targets and clearly designed mechanics that mix boxing actions with game-like visuals.
And whereas Supernatural’s music library advantages from high-profile licensed tracks, FunFitLand works with authentic or non-commercially licensed music – one thing that enables them to achieve a broader viewers globally. That’s price noting, since Supernatural is barely out there within the US and Canada, whereas FunFitLand is accessible worldwide.
In apply, I don’t miss the Billboard hits. The tracks in FunFitLand are rhythmic, well-curated, and tightly synced to every exercise. It might not have the star energy of Supernatural’s playlists, nevertheless it completely holds its personal when it comes to vitality and environment.
In DanceFit, you progress by sweeping arcs and patterns that construct a pure sense of rhythm and move. The expertise feels expressive and private, extra like guided motion than strict choreography. Refined visible cues assist direct your palms with out ever feeling intrusive. It’s approachable for newcomers however nonetheless affords room for knowledgeable customers to maneuver with creativity and confidence.
CombatFit additionally helps hand monitoring, permitting you to strike targets with out controllers. I want the added suggestions of haptics nevertheless it’s spectacular how effectively the hand monitoring works too. Giving customers that selection provides a welcome layer of flexibility.
In the event you’re utilizing a headset just like the Meta Quest 2, Quest 3/3S or Quest Professional, FunFitLand provides you the choice to change on blended actuality mode. Which means you’ll be able to nonetheless see your bodily house when you’re understanding. It provides a layer of consolation, particularly in tighter rooms or shared areas, and helps stop the same old stubbed toes, knocked-over chairs, and stepped-on pets.
Zhang described over written responses doing a session together with his mom utilizing blended actuality. They had been in the identical room, seen to one another by passthrough doing the identical exercise in headset. That mix of bodily and digital presence created one thing distinctive – a way of connection that full VR typically can’t replicate. I’ve tried it myself and perceive the enchantment, particularly in shared areas. That mentioned, I nonetheless want full immersion for my solo exercises. FunFitLand’s digital environments are vibrant and polished, with high-resolution visuals that basically pull you in.
Health coach Dasha Walmsley is without doubt one of the standout voices in FunFitLand. Her tone throughout DanceFit periods is obvious, grounded, and emotionally responsive. Earlier than recording voiceovers, she collaborates intently with the choreography group to align every routine with its supposed temper and pacing. Her purpose isn’t just to steer a exercise however to information, encourage, and join.
As she put it over electronic mail, “I’m solely a tiny human pouring her soul out on set, genuinely wishing somebody on the opposite aspect will share the emotion.”
CombatFit encompasses a totally different teacher, the upbeat and energetic Coach Mike. Each coaches carry distinct personalities to their periods and regularly construct a way of rapport with customers. Over time, it begins to really feel like they’re talking on to you somewhat than reciting preset directions. And sure, Coach Mike appears like he may punch by a brick wall – within the nicest means doable. That connection issues. If you’re sweating by a tricky sequence, listening to somebody who feels like they’re proper there with you makes an enormous distinction, and it pushes you to finish the session.
Improvement on the app is ongoing, and up to date updates embody adjustable barrier heights in each exercise sorts, customizable goal measurement and attain in DanceFit, and a single-lane mode – excellent for smaller play areas or customers with restricted mobility. That inclusive spirit extends far past gameplay. In Fb teams and creator areas, customers share sweaty selfies, tales of transformation, and supportive recommendation.
Probably the most highly effective examples comes from Jacqueline Drake, a therapist, artist, and life coach who incorporates VR into scientific remedy at The Drake Heart for Remodeling Conversations. Identified on YouTube as ‘VR for Thoughts, Physique & Inventive Spirit with Jacqueline’, Drake makes use of DanceFit periods with shoppers recovering from melancholy, nervousness, trauma, and life transitions.
“For me, FunFitLand checks each field,” she informed me throughout our video name interview. “It helps the thoughts, physique, and inventive spirit. That makes it uniquely efficient as a post-treatment device in our integration applications.”
Drake started utilizing VR herself in the course of the pandemic after closing her therapeutic arts gallery. She says she misplaced over 100 kilos, regained a way of self, and started utilizing motion in VR as a meditative and emotional outlet. She now introduces FunFitLand to sufferers rising from ketamine remedy and teaches them to make use of it as a part of a brand new life-style.
“I’ve by no means met anybody who got here out of a DanceFit session feeling unhappy,” she mentioned. “It’s play, it’s presence, and it’s deeply therapeutic. That’s why I like to recommend it. Not only for bodily well being, however for emotional resilience and inventive reconnection.”
Her story displays a rising use case for VR health apps – not simply as exercise instruments, however as platforms for embodied wellness, group help, and private transformation. That is why I caught with VR health when nothing else labored for me. When the barrier to entry is low and the vibe is welcoming, displaying up will get simpler. FunFitLand has been an necessary a part of my well being journey. It wasn’t the one app I used, nevertheless it’s change into one in all my most constant instruments. Some days I wished one thing quick and intense. Different days, I simply want to maneuver and really feel good. This app provides me each. It helps make health really feel like one thing I may get pleasure from, not simply endure. That mindset shift is what’s making the progress stick.
Zhang talked about a number of additions coming to future variations of FunFitLand. These embody new exercise sorts, smartwatch and health tracker integration, a multiplayer mode, and expanded footwork routines. He emphasised the care his group is taking to make sure you implement new modes in a means that enhances the expertise and aligns with the “easy feeling” that they’re concentrating on.
FunFitLand competes in a crowded area of VR health apps, however takes an strategy that works notably effectively for me. Reasonably than specializing in depth or brand-name playlists, it emphasizes accessibility and long-term consistency. The expertise feels user-centered, with room to maneuver at your individual tempo. I’ve by no means linked with conventional exercises and the distinction on this strategy makes a distinction. Zhang got down to construct one thing inviting and, primarily based on my time with the app, I’d say they’ve succeeded.
FunFitLand is offered on the Meta Quest retailer as a subscription for $9.99 month-to-month or $99.99 yearly. The group behind the app is exploring doubtlessly including extra platforms as early as this yr.
