6 fitness and wellness apps to try with the Meta Quest headsets

I’m not athletic, but I exercise regularly. I have a gym membership, jog, and achieve my weekly active minutes goal on my favorite fitness tracker. Still, I don’t feel like running in 30-degree weather or driving to the gym. So, I added some home fitness equipment to my routine, and the latest is the Meta Quest 3S VR headset. I’m not much of a VR person, but I’ve demoed a few of Meta’s VR-based fitness and wellness apps, and I like it. From mindful yoga to workouts that break a sweat, there’s something for everyone in the Meta Universe. Here are my six favorite workout and wellness apps.

Workouts using Meta Quest headsets can be intense. Always consult a physician before starting a new exercise routine.

6 Alo Moves XR

Boost balance and mindfulness with a guide

Whether you want to build strength and flexibility or meditate, the popular digital wellness course and yoga gear brand Alo rolled out the immersive Alo Moves XR app to help people embrace mindfulness within the Meta Universe. The brand is best known for yoga but offers a comprehensive course list, including Pilates and meditation.

You can switch between backdrops like beaches, grassy meadows, and fjords, and if you need guidance on your form, virtual instructors guide you through each pose. For quick workouts, you’ll find courses that are as short as five minutes. Although Alo Moves XR is free to download, you’ll need an annual subscription to access the full library.

5 OhShape

Dodge, dance, and punch

Fitness doesn’t have to be boring or stressful, so I like OhShape. If you are intimidated by intense workouts, OhShape is an easy rhythm game that tests your ability to mimic poses, blast through virtual walls, and dodge obstacles. It offers several soundtracks, including Trap, K-Pop (one of my faves), and Electro.

I like that you can adjust the intensity from “try-out” (practice mode) to medium, hard, and advanced. Most circuits are under five minutes and vary in intensity.

You’ll dodge obstacles, blast through walls, and hold poses; the difficulty changes depending on the soundtrack and intensity. Some musical styles are automatically harder, even in practice mode. For example, the K-Pop try-out mode made me feel like an unofficial member of New Jeans or Stray Kids. I struggled to keep up with the fast-paced back-to-back pose changes while trying to dodge obstacles.

OhShape is $20 to download, and add-on packs are an added cost.

4 Headspace XR

Recenter and achieve calm

Headspace is a wellness brand that promotes mindfulness, stress relief, and better sleep through short mental exercises designed to boost calm and reduce anxiety. The brand’s Meta Quest app achieves this holistically, including a soothing VR animated landscape and simple activities that feel more like gentle games than mind exercises.

The Headspace XR app features multiple locations that help you explore moods while focusing on the now rather than an endless to-do list. Key features like guided meditation prompts and building a virtual community where your other Meta friends can connect help prioritize mental health and reduce stress.

3 Innerworld

24/7 access to mental health tools

If you’re looking for real-time mental health support in a virtual setting, check out Innerworld. This mental health app provides 24/7 access to board-certified coaches and support groups. It isn’t a substitute for seeing a therapist. However, the guided coursework, round-the-clock access to mental health support, and comprehensive tools provided within the virtual space are ideal for helping anyone learn how to navigate common stressors in the real world.

Innerworld leverages the power of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and modifies it to cognitive behavioral immersion (CBI) to allow people to get support anonymously in a VR setting, removing the stigma of seeking help when needed. I spoke with Noah Robinson, the founder and CEO of Innerworld, who holds a Master of Science in clinical psychology from Vanderbilt University and is pursuing a PhD in clinical psychology.

Innerworld was born from his battle with depression when grappling with his realization that he was gay. As a teen, he retreated into the MMO game World of Warcraft. After finding a welcoming virtual community that accepted him and encouraged him to share his truth in the real world, Robinson realized how critical virtual anonymity was in helping him cope.

Innerworld is backed by clinically proven CBT to create comprehensive support tools. The virtual immersion twist offers anonymity that reduces barriers to seeking help. The app’s methods are also supported by two separate peer-reviewed papers in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Journal of Medical Internet Research (JMIR), which point to how CBI is an effective behavioral health strategy for managing anxiety, depression, and substance-use disorders.

Innerworld is not a substitute for mental health care. If you are in crisis or need mental health support, seek the consistent care of a licensed therapist.

2 Supernatural: Unreal Fitness

Accessible fitness for every body

Supernatural: Unreal Fitness is a comprehensive wellness app that checks off the fitness and mindfulness boxes. Core categories include boxing, flow, meditation, and stretch. Flow is similar to boxing, except it prioritizes whole-body movements rather than focusing on arm movements and defensive maneuvers. Workouts take place in idyllic settings like the French Alps and the ancient ruins of Egypt.

I spoke with Leanne Pedante, head of fitness at Supernatural: Unreal Fitness. Like Noah Robinson, she has a personal tie towards fitness after recovering from an eating disorder when she was younger. She later switched career tracks from being a graphic designer to becoming a fitness trainer. She now works with clients who have battled eating disorders.

Along with Supernatural’s focus on adaptive fitness to boost accessibility, she mentioned how an appealing factor about the app for people struggling with body image issues is the absence of mirrors in the immersive environments. This allows her clients to focus on movement and staying active rather than their bodies. But this isn’t just anecdotal. A 2022 study published in the JMIR found that Supernatural: Unreal Fitness’ Flow and Boxing gameplay modes effectively provided physical and mental benefits, meaning people can achieve as good a workout in the virtual world.

What makes Supernatural different is that it’s an accessible app. If you need to modify workout plans because of limited mobility, use the settings to eliminate squats, minimize extra movements, or filter or adjust workouts to remove one or both arm movements. If I’m sore one day and need to skip squats and lunges, I adjust my workout plan to accommodate that. Similar to other workout apps, a coach guides you every step of the way. Supernatural: Unreal Fitness is free to download. For full access, you’ll need a subscription at $10 per month or $100 annually.

1 FitXR

A comprehensive fitness app for all

FitXR is Meta’s 360-solution fitness app that allows you to create customized workout plans based on fitness goals, musical preferences, current agility, and how much time you have. I enjoy that there’s a guided coach throughout the workouts to help me maintain my form. FitXR is free to download, but you’ll need a subscription to access the full library. This is $13 per month or $108 annually.

I prefer my solo workouts, but you can shift into multiplayer mode. There are over 1,000 courses, and new content is always added. Along with more traditional guided workouts, you can choose boxing, HIIT, Zumba, combat, and other curated workout techniques. When pressed for time, I can find workouts that are as short as six minutes. I also like that there are progressive courses to track your progress as you continue using FitXR.

A new frontier for health and wellness

The Meta Quest is a well-rounded VR headset that doubles as home gym equipment with more than games and browsing support for Meta’s proprietary apps like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Many of the fitness and wellness apps have a download fee or require a subscription to access the full catalog. Some of the fitness and mental health apps could replace your gym membership with an on-demand solution to manage anxiety and stress. You can download these apps and manage subscriptions through the Quest headsets or Meta Horizon, the companion smartphone app.