If there are two things we’ve learnt about exercise during the pandemic, it’s that a) it’s important for both our physical and mental health, and b) we really just need things to be as easy as possible.
Now, ‘easy’ doesn’t mean your workouts have to be a walk in the park — although, they could be that both literally and figuratively given the current situation, and that would be perfectly okay — it means that anything that takes the guesswork out of following a workout routine while also enabling a generally healthier lifestyle, from diet to sleep and everywhere in between, is more than welcome in a time when we’re exhausted from making more decisions than ever.
Enter: Keep It Cleaner’s Steph Claire Smith and Laura Henshaw with their freshly relaunched KIC app.
Originally released in 2018, KIC has long had a reputation for being one of the best at-home workout programs on the market, and while we didn’t think it was possible for it to get better, KIC 2.0 is a whole new tier of “Who needs a gym anyway?” kind of excellence.
Completely revamped across the board, the new app now includes new recipes, an expanded wellness hub, a vegan meal plan option, and a myriad of new trainers alongside Steph and Laura, including: HIIT trainer Brooke Jowett, boxing trainer Ellice Whichello, strength trainer Brit Cutts, Pilates instructor Christina Traychevska, and Cecily Chung, who leads yoga.
And to learn more about all the other exciting changes in the KIC app, marie claire caught up with KIC Chief Marketing Officer Michelle Battersby for a total breakdown. Keep reading to learn more.
What kind of changes can we expect to find in the relaunched KIC app?
Probably one of the biggest changes [you’ll find] is that we’ve created a homepage and it almost looks like a social networking app, but for pure health and wellness enthusiasts. It’s so interesting, because since launching the app, I’ve found myself going to it, almost like I would Instagram, looking to scroll through the content and kind of get my ‘fix’. So, I’m personally loving the homepage, which serves curated wellness content, our new workouts, an equipment-free workout bank, highlights our latest blog posts and some exciting new features.
Aside from the homepage, one thing that we’ve really built on is the KIC log, which is where you can track all of your activities, what food you’ve been eating, what workouts you’ve completed, what challenges you’ve done and you can write little notes for yourself, so the KIC log becomes quite an interactive goal-setting element of the app, and that’s something that we’re going to continue to build on in the future.
I guess the overwhelming change is that it looks so new and so fresh, so bright and colourful. When you open it, it looks so happy and inviting and that’s exactly what Keep It Cleaner is about. It’s obviously about helping you lead a healthier lifestyle, but it’s also being approachable and kind and warm, and a safe space, which I feel the app really represents now.
What’s your personal favourite element of KIC 2.0?
My favourite element is the breakdowns. In our Planner, you’ll now see a bit of a different look and feel to your daily or weekly guide. [In the planner] That’s where you’re served a daily workout as well as a daily meal plan, and the daily workouts have been refreshed.
They used to be 20-minute long videos that you would watch and be coached by a PT, but now all of those 20-minute videos live over in the Workout Bank and what you actually see in the workout are really elevated, refined breakdowns and you can link out to your Spotify and listen to your own music and I love getting it done like that. I really like zoning out while I work out and putting on a little too-aggressive R’n’b [laughs] and just getting out my own head a little bit, so I love the breakdowns ‘cause I can really zone out while I’m completing them.
And then, people who love that motivation and love being coached by a trainer – don’t get me wrong, some days I absolutely need that extra push – we’ve still got all of that, it’s just over in our Workout Bank and there’s far more variety.
It’s kind of catering to two different kinds of people. There’s the person who kind of just wants to ‘veg out’ and listen to their own music and get it done, and then the people who need the extra push and listen to the banter. Our original KIC users absolutely loved watching Steph and Laura, and they love the banter between them and the trainers. It’s so great for a ‘LOL’ and just to break up your day, and you can still get all of that in the workout bank or you can listen to your own beats over in the planner.
WATCH BELOW: Steph showing off the ‘breakdowns’ feature of the planner
What would you say is the most underrated or unexpected feature of KIC 2.0 that subscribers ought to know about but might miss in all the newness?
When you go into the Workout Bank, there’s now so many workouts to choose from, and they are all tagged with ‘KIC Fit’ or ‘KIC Start’. KIC Start is more of a beginner [level], to build on your technique and all the fundamentals, so looking for that KIC Start tag is a good one for to look for anyone who’s new to the app. For anyone who’s really looking to push themselves a little bit harder, look out for the KIC Fit label, and then you’ll know it’s a slightly more intense workout.
I also really recommend reading the descriptions, because we really have tried to fill them with as much useful information as possible about what you can expect from the workout.
And then something that I feel like it might take people a little while to notice, is there’s actually a little bar at the bottom of the screen which is counting down the workout the whole way through. So you know when you’re wondering, “How much longer do I have? I’m really struggling!”, you can keep an eye out for that bar because it’s kind of counting it all down for you.
I feel like there are a few little things that people might not see in the app when they first go in, but after a week of using it, you’ll begin to notice all these little features that we’ve built in to help you navigate or know where you’re at within a workout.
It sounds like exactly what we need right now — something to make working out as easy as possible.
That’s what Keep It Cleaner is all about. It’s just about giving you a helping hand. It’s so much more than a PT in your pocket now. We’ve also built out our wellness hub, so we’ve got all these new yoga, Pilates and meditations as well, and all of our meditations are categorised by combating stress and anxiety, sleep, self-acceptance…. So there’s so much you can get from it.
I think Steph and Laura nailed the purpose and the mission of the brand from the start. And I think, so often, that health and wellness can be intimidating and it can be a bit scary, and it’s not something that everyone can just dive into and love from the start, and Steph and Laura have always been about keeping it real and achievable, and it being about how you feel, as opposed to what you look like. And that’s something we’ve tried to carry into our new app as well.
