Long gone are the days of the hula hoop craze and Jane Fonda’s VHS Fitness Videos-turned-global-phenomenons. Nordic Track’s treadmills and ellipticals, as well as stationary bikes and the internet-connected Peloton (with live classes) are some of many advances in fitness technology, which turns something we mostly did alone, or maybe only with a friend, into an interactive and social pastime.
Fitness Trackers
While fitness technology has been democratising home exercise for decades (think the hula hoop or Jane Fonda VHS workout tapes), today’s trends are taking home workouts into a whole new dimension of flexibility and engagement, radicalising our relationship to exercise.
Recent fitness innovations include clothing that analyses ways to more effectively use muscles, as well as gyms that incorporate aspects of gamification and socialisation to enhance workouts and increase overall delightfulness. Fitness trackers have evolved from simple pedometers into wearable devices that provide users with in-depth work-out analytics.
For example, exercise equipment targeted for the home, such as the Peloton dedicated indoor exercise bike, can integrate convenience with interactivity, allowing the user to feel as if she or he is in a virtual fitness studio setting and gaining 24/7 access to live, on-demand and interactive group fitness classes from elite New York City instructors, while allowing real-time visualisation of workout metrics with a smartphone device; the ability to track and observe progression toward goals can provide essential motivation.
Fitness Apps
Fitness apps have become an indispensable part of fitness culture. It is now nearly impossible for fitness apps to not provide users with access to tools and features that potentially aid them in reaching their fitness goals. These could include workout routines, nutritional coaching and virtual trainers. These apps also allow exercisers to create a network of online fitness friends through community-building and accountability features.
Fitness apps downloads have continued to grow during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, many health-related apps continue to be popular. Healthy and enjoyable fitness and workout apps feature good UX/UI design attractive content and varied options that keeps users focused.
Some fitness apps try to make their workouts more entertaining and motivating by using game-based design (gamification). In this way, people might be encouraged to work harder in order to achieve their health goals. Last but not least, we would like to stress that, just like every other application, fitness apps are not a replacement for regular physical activity. They should be used to complement other strategies for health behaviour management.
Smart Fitness Clothes
While technology was never a fundamental attribute of the home workout even 40 years ago, today’s home machines such as treadmills and ellipticals include digital monitors that can track heart rate and oxygen levels, and there is now a whole variety of fitness apps, virtual classes and connected clothing options designed to facilitate fitness experiences unlike any available even just two decades ago.
Wearables are another hot trend, and they can produce very real benefits. Ralph Lauren’s PoloTech shirt links to your smartphone and then sends data directly to your personal trainer; Sensoria socks can track how hard you are working and then send the data directly to your smartphone.
The data-tracking abilities of virtual fitness have paved the way for home workouts with personal trainers. In fact, virtual fitness can in many ways make exercising a part of your personal life – contact Exer-Tech today to learn how certified pre-owned commercial fitness equipment from them can help you reach your own fitness goals – turning your home into a 21st Century gym!
Modern Gyms
To meet the fitness needs and expectations of the ever increasing health conscious populations, gyms are forced to make their services more specialized, and offer a comparable experience for a reasonable cost. Modern fitness facilities are leveraging advanced IT infrastructures and the latest technologies to meet the digital transformation and stay competitive.
Peloton and Tonal smart home units offer class experiences and access to an app, allowing their members to compete and keep track of workout performance, with daily recommendations for working out available through each of their units.
Additionally, AR helps members get the most out of their gym time by providing guidance on using equipment. For example, AR clues gives the member a nudge in a direction that will lead them to the correct piece of equipment faster.
Gamification retains members: leaderboards that clearly display members’ positions, real-time stats and achievements can be a source of competition and spawn new personal bests. Generative AI leads to a richer understanding of a member’s health to improve the precision and accuracy of membership recommendations and provide more personalised experiences, including incorporate data regarding diet or sleep from outside the health club to ensure that the experience offered to every member addresses their holistic health targets.
