As life would have it, as I was finishing my FitXR VR workout sessions in early January on the Meta Quest 3S, I was approached to see if I wanted to participate in Meta's 2025 Fitness Challenge. Since I enjoyed virtual workouts, I said yes, but what awaited me at the end of the experience was something I wasn’t expecting.
To give you a bit of a perspective, Meta’s 2025 Fitness Challenge is a high-tech twist to New Year’s fitness resolutions with an immersive mix of VR and MR workouts. It ran between 6 and 31 January, with participants such as myself invited to choose 1–3 sessions weekly from a curated lineup that blends strength, cardio, gaming, and mindfulness.
Each week features popular apps like Beat Saber, FitXR, and Les Mills: Bodycombat, alongside wellness-focused options such as Headspace XR and TRIPP. By combining engaging VR experiences with fitness, the idea was to turn something hard – getting fit – into something practical and entertaining.
There was a long list of potential apps to try, of which I only tried a handful, including FitXR, Les Mills: Bodycombat, CleenSheet Football, Litesport, and Headspace XR. And because I enjoyed using the Meta Quest 3S, I added a few non-fitness/mindfulness games to the roster, like Monkey Tag (on my son’s recommendation), Virtual Duck Hunt and Lego Bricktales.
The challenge was simple: I had to choose one to three workouts per week, pop on the headset, dive into my workouts, and let VR/MR take care of the rest. And even though I was also trying Apple Fitness+’s new strength training programme, I thought I could most certainly squeeze in a few VR workouts a week.
From FitXR to Monkey Tag: My weekly VR routine
I enjoyed most of the apps. Before joining the challenge, I had already acquainted myself with FitXR, so I knew exactly what to expect: a rhythm-based workout with lots of good music. Les Mills: Bodycombat was a variation on this theme, albeit a fun one. I’ve never been a massive fan of class-style workouts with instructors continuously talking at you, but I find the concept more bearable in a virtual setting.
CleenSheet Football was a pleasant surprise. There is nothing wrong with being a goalie, but I never had any aspirations to become one, so a game focused on this role didn’t seem overly enticing. Maybe because of my initial apprehension, I thoroughly enjoyed catching and throwing the ball, practising my catches, and sharpening my reflexes.
Once I tried a few workouts, I thought it was time to discover other apps the Meta Quest 3S has in store. Monkey Tag provided a surprisingly workout-esqe experience with a slight downside of everyone on the game (i.e. other players) being very young, which meant constant non-sensical chatter in the background.
Virtual Duck Hunt was also fun. Even if you haven’t played with the original NES game, you’re probably familiar with the concept of shooting virtual ducks using a plastic gun. However, in Virtual Duck Hunt, the plastic gun is replaced by a virtual one, and you’re placed in a 3D environment. It’s a fun quasi-retro experience that’s also free to try. Perfect.
A colourful world of calm: Rediscovering mindfulness
I waited until the very last week of the challenge to try Headspace XR. Like CleanSheet, I couldn’t see the benefit of moving mindfulness into virtual reality – after all, most Headspace sessions are done with your eyes closed. What benefit could a VR headset possibly provide that makes the sessions better?
I used to practice mindfulness a lot more years ago; I even wrote an article about it before I started working for T3 (please do excuse the clunky tone). I also regularly do mindfulness sessions using my Oura Ring 4 and Therabody SmartGoggles. I like the serenity of sitting in silence and find it useful to reduce my stress levels.
Donning the Meta Quest 3S felt the complete opposite of mindfulness. It’s not hard to feel overwhelmed in Meta’s colourful virtual worlds, so I couldn’t imagine feeling relaxed under these circumstances. Nevertheless, I fired up Headspace XR because I’m a professional who will see things through, no matter what.
It took me only a couple of minutes to warm to the app. The virtual Headspace world looks and feels like the smartphone app with its soft, pastel tones and rounded edges. The app took my hand and introduced me to exercises that could help me unwind, reflect and, of course, play.
I really enjoyed the exercise where you move your arms around to collect little bits of coloured objects. It provided distraction and calmed me down in a way I don’t think a non-virtual game could.
There was another time when I entered one of the Reflect areas and ended up lying down in what turned out to be the lobby, staring at the sky, listening to birdsong and seeing those little sprites move around me. Only after about 10 minutes I realised I was supposed to move around and find virtual stations to start meditation sessions.
I’ve only been using Headspace XR for a few days, but I feel captivated by it already. It’s not like I was against using the Meta Quest 3S before trying the mindfulness app, but now I actually look forward to putting on the headset. I can’t wait to do practice sessions and to reflect on how I feel and unwind after a stressful day (which, sadly, happens more often than not these days).
Unexpected lessons from the Meta Fitness Challenge
Is it safe to say the Meta 2025 Fitness Challenge changed me? It certainly did, but not in the way I expected it. I would like to keep doing the physical exercises, but now that I have re-immersed myself in Headspace again, I might make 2025 the year of mindfulness. Using the Meta Quest 3S headset, of course.
Check out the Quest 3S headset at Meta UK, Meta US, and Meta AU – prices from £289/ $499/ AU$499. Find out more about Headspace XR here.
