Manchester student putting the social in health and fitness

Do you want to stay fit in winter but find that you don’t have the motivation or money to follow a fitness plan? A Manchester student may have just created the solution for you. Adam Barker, a final year Business Management student at the university has co-founded Magna Life, a fitness business which aims to make expert fitness and nutrition plans affordable for a student market.

Founded earlier this year by Adam and his friend Sean, the idea for the business grew out of a mutual interest in health and fitness, and a desire to bridge the gap between personal trainers’ often expensive fitness plans and a health conscious student market unable to afford them. Magna Life already uses a range of social media platforms to connect users and fitness experts including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. The ultimate aim is the development of an app (presently in the prototype stage) to connect users and experts.

The business has already caught the attention of many fitness experts such as personal trainer Nathan Nelson who has said: “This tool has the ability to transform my business; I’m able to easily communicate with my clients and send them plans. This can be a real game changer for the whole industry.”

The app will allow personal trainers to sell their fitness plans on to users who download the app for a controlled price. For use of this service, these fitness experts pay a monthly fee to Magna Life. These so called ‘expert’ users can then keep in contact with their clients through messages and setting individual plans and goals for them to reach. The idea is that the social aspect of the app should make it harder for users to lose the motivation to stick to plans, which is often a problem when people try to follow online health plans.

Besides completing his studies and getting the app developed, Adam is keeping his sights focused on the progression of the business and is keen to get Magna Life involved in wearable technologies such as the Apple Watch and Google Glasses. Ultimately, he wants Magna Life to expand to the US market, but he is prudent, admitting “it might take us a few years to establish ourselves.” In the meantime he is looking for Magna Life to expand university-wide across the UK and is hoping to host events on various campuses to promote the app.

Since the business was only established less than six months ago, it is amazing how rapidly it has developed. Adam seems to be permanently on the move (when I spoke to him he was on the way to pitch for investment) and he will have a Kickstarter for Magna Life underway soon—in return for peoples’ donations, there will be a range of rewards available including prototype of products and merchandise. The market for fitness products is a growing one and the future of Magna Life is looking healthy and nourishing.

Like the look of the Magna Life?
For more info:
www.themagnalife.com
Facebook.com/themagnalife
Twitter + Instagram: @TheMagnaLife