How Augmented Reality Can Help You Achieve Your Fitness Goals Take advantage of the latest and the greatest in AR to help you reach your next fitness goal.
By Andrew Medal
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
People are willing to try just about everything from fad diets to hypnosis to help them get on track to achieve their fitness goals.
One area that's starting to gain traction in fitness circles is the use of augmented reality (AR) technology during workouts. No matter what their levels of fitness are, more and more people are seeing results with the help of devices that make exercising a little more straightforward and engaging.
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By incorporating AR into your fitness regimen, you can add fun and utility to your workout without sacrificing your gains. Here's how the latest and the greatest in AR can help you reach your fitness goals -- no matter where you start.
Real-time data
One of the most useful aspects of AR technology in the fitness world is the fact that it can provide you with real-time information about what's going on in your body while you're working out.
For instance, many augmented reality devices involve wearable technology that records your heart rate. This helps you make sure you're working hard enough to shed those pounds or build that muscle, as well as helping you ensure that you don't over-strain yourself. The ideal heart rate range for a 30-year-old to maintain during moderately intense exercise (the ideal range for fat burning) is 95 to 162 beats per minute, so you'll want to keep an eye on your wearable tech to track your heart rate for maximum progress.
This isn't limited to what's going on inside your body, either -- augmented reality devices also just help you track how far you've come. By helping you track the distance you've run or the steps you've taken, you can have a standard measure for your workout. Even better, many versions of AR technology reward you based on this. For example, you can unlock prizes based on the number of steps you've taken.
This is an important aspect of working out that people often forget, as seeing your progress can be a huge motivator to keep going and achieve your goals.
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Learning as you go
A staggering 47 percent of generation Z is predicted to be obese by the time they reach adulthood. A major factor in this unfortunate statistic is the fact that for a lot of people, the sheer amount of information to learn about fitness can be intimidating -- and, ultimately, a turn-off.
From putting together effective workouts to just figuring out how those tricky machines at the gym work, there's a lot of information to absorb at any given time in your fitness journey. Luckily, AR technology can make this a lot less overwhelming.
For one, you can receive personalized workout videos through an AR device such as smart glasses to jumpstart your fitness regimen. Just imagine: with this technology, you can have your own, personal fitness instructor show you the latest workouts, like high-intensity interval training (HIIT), yoga and Pilates. This reduces the nervousness associated with going to a fitness class for the first time, helping you on that first step of just understanding how everything is done.
Further, you can receive real-time instructions through AR smart glasses or just your headphones on your form, helping you maximize the ROI of your exercise and minimizing the chance of injury.
Fun
Finally, augmented reality technology just makes working out more fun. Adding gaming elements to exercising helps workouts become more accessible and rewarding to help you reach your fitness goals.
When it comes to people who are not used to exercising regularly, adding some sort of fun element goes a long way towards keeping them motivated through those notoriously tough first weeks and beyond. Not everyone loves working out for working out's sake right off the bat -- it can take an extra level of engagement up front to help them power through the tough first stages of a new fitness regimen before exercising feels rewarding on its own.
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Developers have created mysteries, puzzles and other games to get users up and moving. For instance, a popular AR app called Zombies, Run! is growing increasingly popular in the fitness set. Through your headphones, you listen and follow along as a helicopter pilot helps you escape a zombie apocalypse. Before you know it, you've run a 5K.
With the fact that one-third of American kids are currently overweight, a little fun in the name of fitness is only going to help.
What are some other ways you've been able to get on top of your fitness?
