Erwan Huessaff and Nico Bolzico want you to start your year right, so they’re giving you their very own fitness app for free that aims to help you live a healthy life.
The holidays are over, which also means that it’s about time to get back right on track to our healthy diet. After all, if 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that our health should be top priority. While working out, eating a majority of whole unprocessed ingredients, and focusing on mental health are not silver bullets to fight off sickness or diseases, they do place your mind and body at their optimal state to prepare them for any eventuality.
In the past decade, we’ve seen an upward trend when it comes to health and wellness in the country. There was this explosion of various diets and workout gimmicks across the metro that Filipinos kept trying in search for the best workout that suits them.
So, with several options that are available in the market, fitness junkies Erwan Heussaff and Nico Bolzico teamed up to launch their very own Fitness App for free called REBEL. And tagging along with them is Gilles Hage, a former executive from Rocket Internet a publicly listed group behind technology leaders Lazada, Zalora, and Foodpanda.
REBEL combines the best of fitness, food, and wellness content in one spot—a first of its kind in the Philippines. It revolutionizes the way Filipinos can access their own fitness journey on the palm of your hands, because it has brought together all the best fitness coaches in the Philippines, recipes that use locally available produce, and teaches you the basics to start working on your mindfulness.
Free For All
Whoever said that there’s no such thing as anything free in this day and age, they’re wrong. The Rebel fitness app is free simply because Erwan and Nico have the passion to share what they have learned throughout the years.
“We believe that there is a lack of curated local fitness and health content which focuses on the Filipino. We want to break all the barriers to entry, one by one,” the brand says. “Fitness isn’t limited to a gym, healthy eating isn’t confined to a specialized restaurant, and mindfulness doesn’t have to be found on a beach. We believe that all of this can happen, wherever you might be. You just need the right knowledge to get started.”
Now, starting your fitness journey can be intimidating. A simple search on the internet will get you to millions of results and options, across YouTube, blogs, and apps. However, quantity does not necessarily mean accessibility, and that information overload can be overwhelming for beginners. In fact, the quality (am I doing the right exercises?) and reliability (is it coming from a certified professional?) of these sources can widely vary and raise more questions than solutions.
According to Erwan, “when I [fitness journey] 11 years ago, I realized then that none of it would have been possible without the hours of research I did alone, to try and better understand how to be healthy. From the mind, to the body, to the food we eat. So, REBEL is the culmination of all of this.”
While there are other digital apps and fitness platforms available online, the contents cater to a culture and lifestyle foreign to Filipinos. From the equipment options to the ingredients needed for healthy recipes, there is a mismatch between what Filipinos find online on Youtube and what could really help them get healthier.
Hence, REBEL was born from all of these constraints. Perhaps that’s why within its first month of launch, the app reached the top spot on the App Store for the Health and Fitness category after being downloaded more than 100 thousand times. They successfully broke down the barrier in the fitness and wellness industry through their newfound DNA.
From The Fat Kid Inside
Many have heard Erwan Heussaff’s fitness story, espcially when he shared it way back in 2012. But this time, he gives us an update—from how he managed to get up and start his journey to how his two most significant learnings in 2020.
“Eating healthy, working out and ultimately, losing fat, is easy. Most people don’t want to hear that, because a lot of us struggle with leading healthier lives. When you think about it though, it isn’t complicated.
We know that we need to eat from healthy food groups: lots of vegetables, lean proteins, complex carbs and good fats. We know that we need to move at least 30mins a day. We know that we need to try and sleep 7 hours a night and work on our happiness.
We know all of this; we just find excuses not to do it.
When I came up with the name of my blog, The Fat Kid Inside, everyone found this funny and catchy. I called it that because I felt fat inside. A form of body dysmorphia, where until today, no matter what state my body is in, I always feel fat when I look at myself in the mirror or when I see pictures of myself.
That’s why I started writing about weight loss, because I knew how it felt to be hiding in plain sight. So I wanted to help people get over that as quickly as possible and make them realize that through simple tweaks, you can create massive changes.
I was 240 pounds and obese until the age of 21 when it finally hit me to take control of my life. I knew that I had to work on my mind first—that was step one.
Step two was understanding that the world doesn’t bend for us, we need to adapt to it. We are all built differently, our bodies work in different ways, we all live in different socio-economic realities; anyone who tells you that they have the ultimate solution for you to get fit, is probably just trying to sell you something. What they can’t sell you is the discipline, mindfulness and the work rate you need to achieve your goals.
So, instead of comparing yourself to someone else, you just need to just stop and accept it. It’s easier for some and harder for others unfortunately. But it doesn’t mean that it’s impossible.
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that we should value our relationships with those we love and not to take life for granted. These two lessons are nothing if we don’t look after our health. It’s so easy to get caught up in living that we forget to take care of the one body that allows us to do so.
It’s easy. Just start.” — Erwan
Download the REBEL Fitness App here. Follow them on Instagram @rebelwithus for more fitspiration and updates.
