Fast-food giant, McDonald’s, the creator of such jaw-dropping concoctions as the Angus Burger and the McRib Sandwich, has gone to a few commendable lengths in the past few years to lighten up their image among health-minded customers and nutrition experts. In addition to low-fat yogurt parfaits and apple wedges, they have also quietly added fitness to their menu of offerings.
In 2006, McDonald’s launched a series of workout DVDs called McDonald’s 15-Minute Workouts. Not much publicity was generated around the DVDs unless you happen to buy one of the Golden Arches’ premium salads and a drink. Then, you received one DVD for free. The DVDs were part of the company’s GoActive! Happy Meal for Adults campaign.
Today, the DVDs are no longer handed out alongside your plastic salad fork, but they are still floating around certain retail stores in cyberspace.
Four DVDs were created in the series, each one focusing on a specific kind of exercise: cardio, strength, yoga and core work. Each DVD featured Maya, your virtual female trainer, who takes you through each 15-minute workout, offering you tips in technique and serving as your own personal cheerleader. You select your intensity level and you are given a bit of prep time that alerts you to what moves you’ll be doing next, which is helpful, especially for the novice exerciser.
While DietsInReview.com hasn’t tested out one of the DVDs, reviews by McDonald’s salad chomping customers has been quite positive. From the practical time commitment to the cost-free price tag, Micky D’s fans didn’t have much to complain about. Unless, of course, once they finished their 15-minute workout, they hightailed it to the fast-food drive-thru and scarfed down a Mushroom and Swiss Angus Burger, French fries and a large soda.
Have you tried the McDonald’s 15-Minute Workout DVDs? If so, what was your experience?