I Have The Seen The Future Of Exercise — & It Is Incredible – Refinery29

Predictably, a bunch of researchers have come to the conclusion that exercising in virtual reality is great for you — they claim it’s the ultimate distractor, enabling you to work out for longer. In at least one study, that was found true for obese children, but we’ve all seen this John Oliver sketch about scientific studies, so add a dash of skepticism.

However, there’s an ick factor to address (you knew this was coming, right?). When I took off my headset, perspiration pooled across the foam padding. Honeyman says they’ve had no complaints — he reckons the experience is so enjoyable that people don’t mind. I’d say it’s more that they don’t notice. Personally, I was so wrapped up in the different worlds that I didn’t think about germs bubbling against my skin. But if you’re sharing a headset, hygiene definitely matters if you don’t want breakouts. Luckily, you can fix this issue by getting a VR Cover, basically a machine-washable pillowcase for your headset; it’s effective, but an extra thing to deal with on top of an already not-cheap headset.

On the flip side, the benefits of being fully immersed in a virtual world can supercharge your exercise routine, making you an active participant instead of a listless second screener. I’m guilty of doing the bare minimum on an elliptical and pretending it’s a workout. Here, however, the gamification pushes you to stretch yourself — winning can be a better motivator than willpower alone.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, VirZoom has been called the “SoulCycle for VR,” a moniker they take as a compliment (although SoulCycle’s founders might disagree). And while it may feel strange to imagine VR headsets becoming essential for the Lululemon crowd, we felt similarly about Fitbit’s plan to gamify step counts just a few years ago.

The VirZoom has an apartment-friendly size, but still clocks in at $399.95, on par with other home fitness equipment. With a headset and a computer capable for running it, though, that tab could run up to $1500. That’s a big investment for people whose Wii Fit is likely gathering dust at their parents house (guilty). Luckily, Honeyman says a gym version of VirZoom will be ready in 2017.

Right now, cost — and perception — are VirZoom’s biggest hurdles. But once we can get over that, the sky’s the limit (on our virtual unicorns, at least).

from myhealtyze http://www.myhealtyze.tk/i-have-the-seen-the-future-of-exercise-amp-it-is-incredible-refinery29/