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7 Funny (Yet Effective) Fitness Tips You Might Have Heard Of That Actually Works ( Photo by Jacob Postuma on Unsplash )

If there's one common thing that people do whenever New Year strikes on the clock, this would be the goal of getting fitter and healthier body for the next year. Though let's admit it, it's fun to promise yourself to wake up earlier to take a stroll in the park, but it is way more difficult than it looks like.

Luckily, there are many things you can do to practice yourself being disciplined to finally getting that sexy bod. And if you're already tired of hearing different websites telling you 'common' fitness tips, why not try something else that-- though funny--but actually works out for you?

Who says these are weird?

Calling all caffeine lovers out there, thankfully, our favorite drink is getting limelight on the fitness world. According to researchers atthe Australian Institute of Sport, taking caffeine before or during a workout is an effective fitness tip as "caffeine triggers the muscles to start using fat as an energy source rather than carbohydrate sugars." It is also said that once you take caffeine before a run, your muscles would be less painful.

As studied by environmental psychologistDavid Alan Kopec from San Diego, choosing the colors of your workout fashion also helps in getting your body more hyped on working out. For example, colors of red and orange can trigger your brain to increase body temperature on which pumps you to workout even more throughout the day.

Though many studies show that drinking cold drinks while exercising is not a good thing, a study at Stanford University School of Medicine found out that exercising while holding a cooling device has more impact in making you exercise more. This is because your internal temperature was slower to increase when you're holding something colder.

Contrary to other normal beliefs, sweating is actually not a sign of more calories being burn in a workout. According to Brad Schoenfeld, a certified strength and conditioning specialist, he stated that the best indicator of effective calorie burn is through heart rate. Once you feel that your heart is beating so fast while working out that means its effective.

Runningbarefootis a common thing that a group in Toronto does to give more boost when they're running. They claim that running without shoes can improve circulation, poor posture, and give you stronger bones.

As studied by Jonathan Angelilli, a personal trainer in New York City, saying 'shhh' while working out creates and contracts your diaphragm and transverse abdominis that puts tension in the core and strengthens your extremities. The louder you say 'shhh', the more it is effective.

IntenSati, a fitness program, stated that once you're working out, shouting encouraging words can help you to be more focused and determined on finishing your exercise routine. This can also distract yourself from thinking that you're already tired or feeling any pain from a workout.

If these tips don't work out or you do not personally want to do it, Amazon is still willing to help you with your 2020 goal. Grab these items now before discount rates run out!

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2018 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.

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7 Funny (Yet Effective) Fitness Tips You Might Have Heard Of That Actually Works - Tech Times

Brian ChilsonKENTON BUCKNER: During his time in Little Rock.

A reader asks if former Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner had met the Syracuse, N.Y., fitness standard to be a certified officer on the force he now leads. A web search indicates the answer is, no, but he might get a pass.

We reported back in July on Buckners rocky relationship with the local police union and its criticism that he hadnt met training and fitness standards for certified officers. In addition to 400 hours of training in various aspects of police work, certified officers also must meet the local police academys fitness standard:

The physical standards for a male recruit between 40 and 49 include running a mile-and-a-half in 13 minutes 50 seconds, and doing 18 push-ups and 29 sit-ups, according to police recruiting material.

Spectrum News, a Syracuse-area website, updated Buckners situation last month.

It reported that the state agency that certifies police had given Buckner an additional year to complete training requirements, until Dec. 1, 2020. It said hed completed 386 hours in such areas as defensive tactics, driving and firearms testing. It said he still must complete the fitness testing and 160 hours of field training.

Kenton told Spectrum he was training for the fitness test and was confident hed pass it, though he wasnt sure when that would be.

I can actually get through the workouts now without passing out and feeling like were making progress with that, said Buckner. Any of you that tried to get into shape, its not easy. I dont try to hide that or walk away from it. I think its difficult but certainly reachable.

The Spectrum reporting indicted Buckner has a supporter in the local mayor and, according to him, passing the test might not be necessary for Buckner to keep his job.

I didnt hire the Chief based on how many push-ups he can do or fast he can run a mile and half, said Syracuse Mayor Ben Walsh. I brought him in based on his experience, based on what he thought was important for the police department and for the community, and thats what hes delivered on.

Walsh also says the state law allows him to keep Buckner as chief whether he passes the certification or not. The certification just maintains his status as a sworn officer.

The police union has disagreed with the mayor on this opinion, but syracuse.com reported that the citys attorney backed up that reading of the law. Buckner could remain as a civilian police chief.

The mayor tapped Buckner to be chief in Syracuse in November 2018. Hed been chief in Little Rock for more than four years, after 21 years on the force in Louisville.

Excerpt from:
Ask the Times: Has Kenton Buckner passed his fitness test? - Arkansas Times

Tomorrow is the first day of the new year, which means that starting on Thursday, your local health club will be packed at least for a while.

"It dies down within the first two or three weeks," said Steve Boring, fitness director at the Rochester Health Club. "But we're hopeful every year."

All those people arriving at health clubs to follow through on their New Year's resolutions to get in shape, lose weight and become healthier are hopeful, too. But it takes more than hope to achieve those goals.

It's not easy, but then, it's not supposed to be.

Back

"If you can find your 'why,' it will be more fun," Boring said. "You can find some fun in the struggle. You have to remember why you're there."

Those who are successful share common traits, said Dan Hoffman, owner of Northgate Health Club in Rochester. "They set a goal, and they benchmark those goals," he said.

That way, he said, they're seeing small successes along the way, instead of getting frustrated that not all the weight is coming off at once.

Personal trainer Natalie Kalmes works with Stuart Riemann of Austin during a workout Monday at Northgate Health Club in northwest Rochester. (Traci Westcott / twestcott@postbulletin.com)

With that advice in mind, here are some more tips to help find success with those 2020 fitness resolutions:

"In the four years we've owned the club, what I've seen is that the people who do the best connect to a class," Hoffman said. A class provides structure and information, a set time to be at the club, and classmates with which to share workouts. "Have a workout buddy," he said.

Think about overall health, rather than focusing strictly on weight loss. "Weight loss it the No. 1 goal I see," Boring said. "People will pick a number, and that becomes the driving force, rather than health."

The problem is that without establishing healthy, long-term habits, there's a good chance any weight loss will inevitably be short-term.

"You have to change the mindset, the culture and the habits," Hoffman said.

Don't try to tackle a big goal all at once.

"The big thing is actually setting an appropriate goal," Boring said. "Make sure it's real and achievable."

Be specific with your goal.

"The reality is that 'something' doesn't always happen," Hoffman said.

"One of the worst things you can do is just wing it," Boring said.

Seek the assistance of professionals.

Personal trainers and coaches can help with information and encouragement.

"Visit with somebody who knows more about it," Hoffman said. "Spend time around the culture, the people who are working on that stuff."

"A personal coach can keep you coming back," Boring said.

Finally, consider a written promise to yourself.

"When I really want to accomplish something, I'll write a contract with myself," Boring said. "Then I've got a contract, and no matter how much I want to skip a workout, I won't."

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How to keep those New Year's fitness resolutions - PostBulletin.com

The start of a new year is usually the time many people vow to lose weight and get in better shape.

Some will join a gym, but others are discovering they dont have to leave home to exercise, even if they want to participate in what appears to be a group exercise class. With the help of online streamed fitness workouts, people can take part in classes with others led by a trainer or even get sessions led by their own personal trainer.

Its a simple matter of cause and effect, courtesy of the millennial generation, which represents the age group of 20 to 36, according to a recent story in Shape, a fitness magazine.

Millennials are more committed to eating right and exercising than any other generation (76 percent exercise at least once a week) and have been a driving force behind the serious boom in the fitness industry over the past decade, the story stated.

The millennial age group has been slower to marry and start a family, but thats changing. More than a million women in the 20-36 age group worldwide have had babies in recent years, the story said.

So, what happens when an exercise-crazed segment of society starts a season of parenthood? Expect to see an uptick in home gym equipment, streamed fitness content and on-demand workouts. It makes sense. The less flexible your schedule becomes, the more youll be relying on fitness to come to you, versus trekking all over town to chase down your favorite studio instructor, the article stated.

But local fitness instructors said the traditional approach to getting in shape still has merit.

Jennifer Hatch-Miller, fitness director and sales director at the Summit Tennis & Athletic Club in Altoona, said working out at home has advantages such as convenience but exercising at a gym has many more benefits.

A fitness center can offer amenities such as workout equipment and the services of a personal trainer, plus options like maybe a sauna and pool, Hatch-Miller said. There are also the added benefits of the relationships you can build with others at the gym who can help keep you accountable, she said.

Of course, you can work out in the convenience at your home, but then you will notice there are many distractions and interruptions, Hatch-Miller said. As a wife, mom of three girls and three fur babies and working full time, going to the gym keeps me more focused and accountable.

Hatch-Miller said its especially important for moms to take time for themselves and also to take care of themselves.

Being the best mom to my kids and wife to my husband is my main goal in life, but I cannot be the best for them if I dont focus on my own health, she said. I have equipment at home, but I never get the chance to use it. I find myself doing other things around the house to catch up. By going to the gym, I have my workout ready, and I feel like I get a better workout. I have lots of space and the friends I have made over the years are a plus.

It also helps when the fitness center has a kids area so that her children can play while she works out, Hatch-Miller said.

Having a gym with a kids room is also beneficial so I know my kids are also having fun and they arent trying to climb all over me while I work out, she said.

Ray Ross, co-owner of another local fitness center, Gorilla House Gym in Altoona with his wife, Angela, said he and his wife support any type of exercise, as long as people do something to stay fit.

Time is of the essence, schedules are busier than ever, and people work a variety of hours that might not fit a (gyms) hours, Ross said. At Gorilla House, we applaud all fitness and even offer group challenges that include workouts you can do at home with little or no equipment. In a day and age where sickness and disease are so prevalent and a lot of it can be controlled by movement, we have to encourage everyone to get exercise any way it fits their schedule.

Ross said if people couldnt make it to a gym because of time constraints and stream workouts at home, thats OK with him, just so they get their bodies moving.

If that means an (exercise bike) at home or some (workout video), great, he said. Just move it. Stay healthy. We need a healthy society.

But the ideal is to make it into a gym because it offers the wide range of equipment and sense of community that Hatch-Miller mentioned.

I feel gyms like mine will be around for a long time for two reasons, Ross said. One, it can be difficult to find room and expensive to fill a home gym with fitness equipment. And, as humans we are always looking for a pack. Gyms offer community and community is having common goals, attitudes, and interests. We have our work, and home and a third place. Gyms are often the third place for many people.

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Options abound to fit in fitness | News, Sports, Jobs - Altoona Mirror

Ashland, Ky. (WOWK) Fitness centers nationwide are flooded with people taking part in the annual New Years fitness resolution trend. However, this trend usually doesnt last long.

According to the U.S. News and World Report, in 2019 the failure rate for New Years resolutions was around 80%. The majority of the resolutions were health and fitness related.

The Ashland Area Young Mens Christian Associations (YMCA) staff offers tips on how to stay committed to your fitness goals. The first step is making sure that you are well prepared.

A lot of people want to quit because they want to come in and they expect to lose thirty pounds in a week or something or thirty pounds in two weeks and thats just not realistic. So, then people get discouraged.

Tanner Wilson, a long-time member of the Ashland Area YMCA, tells us that he sees a major spike in gym memberships during the first two months of the year. The attendance starts to go down as the members start to lose commitment to their goals.

Wilson says that he still sees a few members that stick with the resolution and hes always supportive of a healthier lifestyle.

Theyll come here first of the year and then theyll about Id say February or March, but I always love seeing those people that actually hang around and stay. You know? Youve got to understand that people are trying to better themselves and I always like seeing people better their lives.

The next step to creating a healthier lifestyle is to plan ahead on your workouts and set short-term goals. The YMCA staff also encourage individuals to work out with a partner to help motivate and keep each other on track.

More:
Fitness center offers tips on how to keep New Years resolutions - WOWK 13 News

Tuesday

If youre in the Columbia area, head to Charm City Run at 9 AM for a group three-mile jaunt. After, there will be breakfast and discounts at the store.Charm City Run Columbia; 7090 Deepage Dr., Columbia

Ring in the first day of 2020 with a free hour-long yoga flow at Eaton. The class will incorporate crystal and metal bowls for meditation, and it begins at 2:30 PM.Eaton; 1201 K St. NW

Head to the Lululemon in Reston for a 25- to 45-minute run through Reston Town Center. The group will leave at 6 AM.Lululemon; 11957 Market St., Reston

Get your Zumba on at a free class at the Kennedy Centers Millennium Stage. The session begins at 6 PM.Kennedy Center; 2625 Connecticut Ave.

Join the conversation!

Associate Editor

Mimi Montgomery joined Washingtonian in 2018. She previously was the editorial assistant at Walter Magazine in Raleigh, North Carolina, and her work has appeared in Outside Magazine, Washington City Paper, DCist, and PoPVille. Originally from North Carolina, she now lives in Adams Morgan.

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Here Are Some of the Best Free Fitness Classes Around DC This Week: 12/30 - 1/5 - Washingtonian

Percussive therapy had a moment in 2019.

A burgeoning market of massage devices that look (and sound) like power drills with names like Theragun G3Pro or Hyperice Hypervolt Plus have firmly hit the mainstream, as athletes of all ages and abilities have now come to rely on their 60-pounds-of-force, 40-percussions-a-second capacity for easing soreness around the body.

The machines punching heads induce blood flow to soft tissue, which in turn relaxes connective tissues and elongates muscle fibers. Weve used multiple models, and they all work wonders. Fifteen minutes of use after a tough lift or long run is now a crucial portion of my workout routine. For an industry thats pushed useless crap on an unwitting, credulous public for decades, a product that can actually address common aging ailments (stiff knees, locked backs, sore calves) feels like a near miracle.

That said, there are still some prohibitive elements to bringing one home. The price, for starters. You could fly round-trip to most European cities for the price range of a percussive device, which hovers between $350 and $600. The design is clunky, too. Theragun and Hyperice have made massive ergonomic improvements on their earlier models, but you still wouldnt take one out of the house. (They comes in briefcases, and have numerous attachments, like a vacuum.) Theyre also just super loud.

So we were understandably pumped when Hyperices Hypersphere Mini dropped earlier this year. The device, which made our list of the years best fitness products, is as effective as the flagship, drill-shaped models, but smaller than a softball. It sources the same style of massage an electronic riff on the Swedish deep-tissue practice of tapotement but it does so without sacrificing any portability, and without putting a hole in your wallet. The Mini is just $99 and TSA-approved, and does a good job of hitting spots the larger therapy devices cant reach (assuming youre administering them by yourself), like the upper back or the balls of the feet.

All you really need for this thing to do its job is a decent charge (it plugs in USB-style), and a portion of ground that can handle a bit of vibration, be it a yoga mat or a stretch of carpet. It works most effectively when youre pressing into it, not scraping it against yourself, so find a spot in the hammies that needs a little love, find your preferred mode of power (there are three) and let it dig in.

Oh, and definitely bring this thing on the road. You dont want to abandon your fitness over vacation or a business trip, and the Mini proves a godsend after a flight.

Subscribe herefor our daily deals and products newsletter, The Goods.

Originally posted here:
The Hypersphere Mini Is One of the Best Fitness Products We Tested This Year - InsideHook

The holidays are about spending time with family, reflecting on the year and plenty of food. Some people can find it difficult to find time for their fitness routine or inspiration to work out at all in the new year.

According to Chuck Herman, owner of Specialty Fitness Equipment in Warrensville Heights; Ed King, owner of Kings Gym in Bedford Heights; and Lisa Lansing, owner of Inspiral Motion in University Heights, losing the motivation to exercise is a common problem in the new year.

Its such a family-oriented time and its the time to be with your loved ones, Lansing said. Usually, when youre with them, its delicious food and treats, and everyone kind of gives themselves a pass over the holiday, the leeway to indulge a bit.

She said there shouldnt be any guilt involved with giving yourself a break during the holiday season, adding that it is a fun time.

If you live your life right, and everything is done in moderation, you should be able to have fun during this time of the year, Lansing noted.

King stated life tends to get in the way during the holidays, making it difficult to find the time for fitness, even if an individual wants to keep to their routine.

At year-end, if you have kids in college, theyre home from school and you want to spend time with them, he said. You have office and family parties and get together, so life gets in the way. Fitness time becomes last on the list for a lot of people. Plus, the mentality of the new year coming up, many people will take some time off and theyll start again at the beginning of the year. That is a good time for people to stop those habits and set a goal.

The holidays also come with schedule inconsistency that can inhibit a persons ability to work out, Herman said. He added this can affect individuals differently in an attempt to get back into the groove, depending on the initial commitment.

This time of the year can be tough, he explained. Even for people like me who are usually very committed. With this time of year and the shorter days when the sun sets early, its harder to get out there and be motivated. Everything together is what sets a lot of people out of whack. Everyone is wired differently some people can be very affected by one thing.

Getting back to a fitness schedule differs for each person and depends on how long the perosn has been out of practice, all three professionals said.

People who wait way too long to get back into it can find it difficult, Lansing said. At the end of the day, consistency is key. If you can keep it up through the first month back, youll want to go and youll find yourself carving out time to do it.

Herman said, It gets harder and hard to get motivated. There is always going to be an excuse and its easier to not do it the longer you wait because it becomes a habit to not work out.

Finding motivation can be easy, as long as individuals set their mind to a goal and make time, King said.

Most people put fitness as an afterthought, they dont make it a priority, he stated. For someone to be successful long term with exercise and embracing a healthy lifestyle, it has to be habit forming. They have to do it the same day and at the same time and make it a schedule. People try to squeeze workouts into time frames if they end up having extra time. But no, you have to approach it as that is your hour to work out and then schedule things around it.

Herman suggested individuals stay within their ability.

Stay within yourself, he said. Everyone is doing something different. Just because someone can do something you cant, it doesnt mean they are better. Its not a competition. Everyone reacts differently to fitness, so its about being slow and steady.

Fitness motivation might even just lie in trying something new, Lansing noted.

Do something new, she said. If youre finding yourself saying, I dont want to go to that Pilates class, try something else. The key is changing up what you do as a motivator. It will be different and you wont know what to expect. Changing is not bad. Look for something that will change your life, not just an afternoon.

Read this article:
Motivation key in getting back to fitness routine - Cleveland Jewish News

If you are stuffed with holiday treats and love to dance but hate to work out, 305 Fitness may help you fulfill your upcoming New Years resolution.

The company that boasts Drew Barrymore, Hailey Baldwin and Bette Midler as fans is opening a location in Union Square at 12 E. 14th St. just east of Fifth Avenue.

The space includes 5,700 square feet on the ground and lower level, and was previously a Spiderbands studio, where participants used bungee cords. With mirrors still in place, 305 will be making some cosmetic and branding upgrades.

Brad Siderow and Matt Leto of Siderow represented 305 Fitness, a health club with a night club twist.

Its a fast-growing fitness chain that is more like a dance party, complete with a DJ and club lights, says Siderow of his client, which was founded by Miami native Sadie Kurzban hence the 305 for its area code.

Jean King of NYC Homes represented the building ownership, which had an asking rent of a blended $84 per square foot across both floors.

New Nets No. 7 Kevin Durant and his business partner in Thirty Five Ventures, Rich Kleiman, are both investors in the brand, as is record producer Tisto, who composed a 30-minute workout mix for the 305 At-Home YouTube series.

See the original post here:
305 Fitness opening in Union Square - New York Post

It was only a few years ago that the modern VR revolution officially began. Palmer Luckey, the founder of Oculus, personally delivered the first pre-ordered Rift to an ecstatic customer in early 2016.

At that moment, the sci-fi dream of transporting yourself from your dull Earthly surroundings into a vast metaverse of unlimited experiences and connections became a reality.

Well, kind of.

The Oculus Rift CV1 was a marvel of modern technology, but it was missing some key pieces of functionality that would be needed before we permanently jacked ourselves into the matrix.

For one, it was missing any type of hand tracking or 6DoF controllers. It shipped with an Xbox controller. The external tracking sensors could only track you if you were facing them, which made 360-degree experiences frustratingly difficult. The long wire reminded you that you were connected by a leash to a very expensive gaming computer. And finally, the list of games and experiences was very small and limited to mainly tech demos that werent worth more than an hour of your time.

The idea of using the first version of the Rift for fitness was not feasible with these limitations, but it wouldnt be long before Oculus and many other VR companies began to release the needed improvements.

In 2016, mentioning the word fitness together with VR would bring quite a few snarky laughs from any forum or subreddit. VR was meant for gaming and entertainment and the idea of working out with it was inconceivable to most.

Luckily, a few visionary companies and individuals could see, even in those early days, that the beginning of the next health and fitness revolution had just started. The technology wasnt quite there yet, but over the next few years, it would improve to a point that would make it usable for many other applications.

Economic studies show that more money is spent on fitness products, memberships, and services than ever before. People of all ages are joining boutique gyms, buying yoga apparel, paying for fitness apps, and buying expensive spin bikes to help them drop belly fat and tone their bikini body. The wealth of workout, nutrition, and motivational content is overloading our feeds.

So why do studies show we are fatter, more depressed, and more out of shape than ever before?

The truth is that most people know what to do, but they dont do it consistently over a long period of time. New Years Revolutionaries join the gym in droves only to drop out weeks later. Diet plans come and go faster than you can say UberEats.

We wish we could get addicted to lifting weights and eating broccoli, but we actually end up addicted to the screens around us. Video games, streaming movies, and social media have taken up our days and we struggle to get off the couch.

Virtual Reality will turn out to be vastly more addictive than any small screen that you hold in your hands. Youll feel like you are emotionally and physically there with others instead of just looking at flat pictures of your friends or pancake videos of your favorite celebrities. Youll live in the Fortnite world instead of visiting from a 3rd person view.

For some, this could be a recipe for disaster for their health and fitness as they shun the outside world.

But for many others, if we build it correctly, this could be the solution that turns them into warriors and athletes.

In VR, you use your real body and real movements to interact with the world. You dont just sit still and press buttons. You can swipe and jump and parry and duck through environments that engage all of your senses. Even just a few hours a week of intense VR gaming can be enough to transform your health and fitness.

Its a revolution that will be looked at as obvious in retrospect.

Well, of course, people would exercise more if they could play Call of Duty with their real body, harvest their Farmville farm in VR, or compete in awe-inspiring sporting events with huge audiences right from their home?

Truly addictive gamification (not just basic tracking, leaderboards, and point generation) that can really immerse you in the experience is coming to the mainstream fitness industry over the next few years!

It will take quite a bit of focused effort by many people to create the technology and experiences that will make it possible. Our goal at VR Fitness Insider is to help create this new category with you so we all get there as soon as possible.

Fast forward a few years since the launch of the Oculus Rift CV1 and the landscape looks quite different! An unbelievable number of advances has brought us to the point where large numbers of people now exclusively workout inside virtual reality. Lets take a look at where we are now.

Some of the largest companies in the world (like Microsoft, Samsung, Qualcomm, and Google) have invested billions into virtual reality research. Today we have high-end headsets like the Valve Index and HTC Vive Pro that are more comfortable, easier-to-use, and much higher quality than anything before.

Oculus released the Quest this year which made it possible to experience great VR without wires or even a separate computer. Their inside-out tracking allows you to move around in a virtual environment with more freedom than ever before. The quality of the visuals is reduced because its a completely mobile device, but the ease-of-use and easy setup more than make up for it.

The Oculus Quest is possibly the best thing to happen to VR fitness, so far. Its more affordable and anybody can understand how to use it. The installed base of Quest users is huge and growing daily which makes it possible for fitness game developers profit from their investment.

Game developers have created amazing fitness-based VR experiences like BoxVR and Viro Move that are specifically geared towards working out. Other games give you an awesome workout just due to the nature of what they are imitating, especially boxing games like Creed and Thrill of the Fight. We also now have hundreds of experiences that might not burn a thousand calories per hour, but they get you moving, like Echo VR, In Death, and Racket Fury.

A surprising hit for fitness that everybody knows and loves is Beat Saber. Beat Saber can be a very low-intensity experience if you stay in easy levels and just wave your wrists around. But once you get to Expert and Expert+ and focus on moving your whole body, you may never want to do cardio the traditional way ever again!

The number of Steam or Oculus games that you can use at home for fitness is huge and growing daily.

Treadmills and dumbbells are outdated torture devices that millions of people dread using. Luckily, innovative companies are turning them into something youll love.

KatVR is a 360-degree treadmill that allows you to walk, run, and move in your favorite VR game instead of just pointing and clicking.

VirZoom and VZFit takes the boring exercise bike experience to whole new levels of immersion with fun games, competitions, and events.

If rowing machines are more your thing, youll love Holodias addictive fitness experience. Aim for your best time or simply take a vacation to another universe while burning calories and building biceps.

The machine that Icaros created isnt like anything weve seen before. After youve worked your legs on a VirZoom bike and smashed your arms and back on a Holodia rowing machine, jump over to the other corner of your gym and get that core that youve been dreaming about while flying through the air.

Our team at Black Box VR has created the worlds first virtual reality resistance workout experience. The cable strength machine integrates into a VR Esports game that will truly test your power, endurance, and mobility. You can get a full-body, high-intensity workout based on the latest in exercise science that is fully tracked and analyzed.

Right now Black Box VR gyms are open in San Francisco and Boise, and soon to open in Washington DC. Next up: worldwide rollout inside existing gym chains.

We have to also mention this little beauty: the HTC Vive Tracker. Its not directly a fitness device, but innovative companies are connecting it to sports equipment, fitness hardware, and random body parts to create exciting experiences that otherwise wouldnt be possible. We hope that HTC and others continue to create open software and hardware that give the power to the community to innovate on top of the VR ecosystem.

Not a day goes by that somebody in a VR group or subreddit doesnt mention the great exercise they are getting from VR. It used to be very rare and the idea of VR + fitness was shunned, but now the comments that you see are very supportive. People share their fat loss stories, create lists of games to try, and give tips for improving the experience.

Weve featured just a few of the many astounding physical transformations that people are sharing on social media. Of course, the real number of people that are seeing fitness results will always be way higher than the number that go out and post about it online. A movement has begun!

Even the mainstream media is starting to see the value of virtual reality for fitness with dozens of mentions in stories about the future of fitness. The health club industrys leading trade publications continually feature VR fitness companies and technologies in their pages to help their readers understand the coming trends.

The Showtime hit show Billions had a scene where the lead actors were in a modern gym with virtual reality workout experiences all around them.

A year or so ago, one of our colleagues mentioned to John Carmack (creator of many pioneering video games and VR technologies) that one of VRs killer apps will be exercise. He wasnt so sure and said he didnt think that people would want to be overly active in most experiences. Fast forward a year later and during an interview on the Joe Rogan podcast, he said he finds himself playing games like Beat Saber for part of his exercise routine!

Many scientific studies have been released over the last year that proves what weve already known: virtual reality helps people get fit! Researchers are finding that people that workout in VR enjoy the experience more, are able to workout harder and longer, and perceive the difficulty to be less than traditional methods.

The VR Health Institute, based on the Kinesiology labs at SFSU in California, tested some of the top VR experiences to see how they compared to other fitness activities like tennis, jogging, and more. Their scientific methodologies helped to prove to naysayers that you can play exciting video games and burn thousands of calories and rev up your heart rate to improve your overall health.

Speaking of the VR Health Institute, this year they released a VR Exercise app to help you track your workouts and choose the best games for your goals.

A company named YUR received significant venture funding and released their VR calorie and heart rate tracking application. Their technology is being integrated directly into the top-selling games to make the experience seamless for end-users.

This year VR competitions were held all across the country. Whether its a Racket:NX tournament at your local VR arcade, a Beat Saber competition at your university, or an Onward VRespawn tournament for cash prizes, weve seen the power of Esports extend to VR in a big way.

It wont be long before stadiums (real or virtual) are being filled to watch true athletes wage war against each other in the metaverse.

Although its not quite virtual reality, exergaming and connected fitness continue to gain traction. It doesnt take a lot of imagination to see how these eventually morph into full VR experiences as the technology improves. A few of note:

VR is set to make a big leap forward in 2020. The Oculus Quest was one of the most sought after gifts for 2019s holiday season and sold out at nearly every retailer. The demand is starting to ramp up and that means that the pace of VR innovation will increase in response.

Here are a few predictions for the next few years

I remember when the year 2000 seemed like the future. Now its 2020 and the sci-fi world we imagined is beginning to become a reality in most areas of our life with self-driving cars, delivery drones, and video calls on our watches.

Now its time for the old school world of barbells and treadmills to get that same type of upgrade. The old model was never effective for the average person. The secret to fitness success is consistency and counting minutes during your stair-stepper session is a torture that most of us cant stick to for long.

Jumping inside a virtual world to play addictive sports and games with connected equipment, machine learning data trackers, and communities of friends built around an entire fantasy world will make us more fit than we ever imagined.

Welcome to the VR fitness revolution.

Disclosure: VR Fitness Insider is owned and operated by Strive VR LLC which is the parent company to Black Box VR.

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REPORT: The State of VR Fitness in 2019 - VR Fitness Insider

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