Motivate with New Technology

As new technology gains a foothold in the fitness equipment market, it can be difficult to sort through the newest products to determine the best fit for your fitness center. One of the first steps is translating technobabble into helpful, easily identifiable categories.

There are lots of terms floating around - exertainment, interactive, exergaming - but they are not interchangeable. In fact, each has its own definition, according to Lisa Hansen, co-director of the XRKade Research Lab at the University of South Florida, Tampa, Fla.

Exertainment. Exertainment options are traditional exercise pieces that have a television screen or other technology device that allows the user to be entertained while exercising. Examples include iPods and cardio equipment with TVs.

Interactive. Interactive pieces allow for activities that require the user to interact with a device in some manner while exercising - not just be entertained by media, and not necessarily in the form of a game. Examples include Human Touch's iJoy Board and Expresso's S2u stationary cycle.

Exergaming. Exergaming combines gaming and physical activity with technology-based activities - participants use their bodies as a controller. Examples include Konami's Dance Dance Revolution, iTech's XR Board, Source Distributors' GameBike, FIT's 3 Kick, the Cybex Trazer, SportKAT's Korebalance, the Motivatrix Workout Master, the Virtual Rower, SSD's XaviXsport, Sportwall, InterAction Lab's Exer-station PRO and Makoto.

The XRKade Research Lab uses equipment in each category to study how technology can be used to help children become more physically active. Children from the ages of nine through 15 visit the lab on a regular basis to participate in activities on various pieces of technologically enhanced fitness equipment. The XRKade Research Lab opened in January 2007 with a donation of equipment from a variety of manufacturers. What researchers have learned there reinforces what forward-thinking owners and managers have experienced in their own fitness centers - and also reveals a few surprises.

Perceptions trump sweat

According to Hansen and Steve Sanders, director of the School of Physical Education & Exercise Science at the University of South Florida, when people combine technology and exercise, they seem to forget they're working out. In fact, XRKade's research shows that exergaming can alter participants' perceptions of exercise, and even their own exertion levels. "We have found that kids' heart rates on some of the exergaming equipment were extremely high, but the RPE (rate of perceived exertion) was extremely low, suggesting that they are getting a very good workout, but do not perceive that they are working very hard," say Sanders and Hansen.

For this reason, the popularity of technology interwoven with exercise is undeniable. "Whenever they are presented with a choice between conventional or interactive cardio equipment, club members almost always select interactive," says Steve Rauch, operating partner of LifePlex Health Club, Monsey, N.Y. "The ability to have control over entertainment is by far and away the reason for its popularity. Personal choice ensures a member may enjoy various forms of entertainment while working out."

You can't disguise exercise

One major mistake fitness professionals make, says Hansen, is thinking that technology is a way to distract the user from their exercise, or trick them into doing something they don't enjoy. Approaching fitness technology in this way bypasses the key ingredient to exercise adherence: intrinsic motivation. Rauch agrees that some fitness facilities and manufacturers are using flawed tactics to market these products - especially to children. "Many of the options out there are trying to package an arcade in a fitness club, but children know the difference. They aren't in an arcade or sitting in front of their computer, so it becomes difficult to engage them when the setup is so similar," says Rauch. "Repeat attendance suffers greatly from this attempt to disguise."

One reason this approach doesn't work is because, in Rauch's experience, children don't easily jump from their favorite video game to exergaming fitness equipment. There is a definite learning curve that, if left unaddressed, can make the more high-tech equipment languish on the fitness floor. For this reason, says Rauch, "the 'manual interactive' fitness equipment, such as rock climbing and Sportwalls, prove to be more popular than the technological items like GameBikes equipped with PlayStation 2."

However, this isn't necessarily a bad thing, especially considering Hansen's theory that technology should complement traditional fitness activities, not replace them. "Club operators and equipment manufacturers have to find ways to blend the technology ... with good old fashioned fun," Rauch says. "Just because a piece of equipment or a facility has all the new bells and whistles does not guarantee success. They must provide structure, substance and direction to this new form of ... fitness. We find ways to incorporate our less-technological equipment into new-age programming. For example, we combine belaying and repelling on a rock wall with sessions on a GameBike equipped with PlayStation 2, or Cybex Trazer with Dance Dance Revolution and a game of hoops."

Like LifePlex, fitness centers are finding new ways to combine tradition with technology. One facility straps heart rate monitors to its young members and offers them a ticket for every 15 minutes they keep their heart rate in a pre-set target zone. Tickets are then redeemable for prizes. This encourages children to try traditional equipment while their favorite exergame equipment is in use.

Integrating technology with traditional fitness activities is a huge challenge, but overcoming it is essential for your facility's future success. The "gamer" generation will grow up, and the goal is for them to transition into members of a traditional fitness facility. It's your job to provide the tools for them to make that transition not only seamless, but inevitable.

Be flexible

In the meantime, take care not to box yourself in. "Many of the turnkey packages available are too limited in their ability to evolve," says Rauch. "Our children's Fitness, Function and Climbing Center - called FunXions at LifePlex - is equipped with a wide variety of interactive activities ranging from rock climbing walls to virtual reality equipment."

The reason for this is simple: "The younger generation has more of a 'what's next' attitude; they want to be challenged and they want room to be creative," says Rauch. LifePlex was designed to make the most of current and future technology to meet the needs of its young members. "We constructed an open floor plan across 7,000 square feet, in which only our feature rock climbing wall is permanently installed. This has allowed us, in our first three months of operation, to reconfigure the space as our target market has shown us what is successful and what needs work. The open floor plan and the benefits of our flexibility allowed us to double our summer camp business in the first year."

Family focus

With all the focus on children, it's easy to dismiss new technology as little more than expensive toys to entice the kids into a fitness facility. This idea isn't necessarily wrong, but it is overly simplistic. "It certainly appears that interactive fitness activities for children are going to become more and more popular as new equipment is developed and as prices for home models come down," say Sanders and Hansen. "We see exergaming having enormous potential to excite and motivate children to become more physically active." However, ignoring the same technology's potential to motivate adults to exercise is a mistake no fitness center should make. Sanders and Hansen say they believe technology has enormous potential to motivate exercisers of all ages. "The populations that we are currently working with in our lab are from nine to 15 years of age. However, we believe that exergaming has potentials for all populations - even [older] adults," they explain. "During one of our studies where we had parents working with their children, the kids were ready to go home after the hour-long session, [but] we could not get the parents off the equipment. Clubs can cash in on this movement by creating an atmosphere where parents and children can participate together as a family to be physically active."

Challenges

As with any new horizon, there are unique challenges facing fitness centers that invest in this kind of equipment.

Instructors. The role of the instructor is different in a technological environment compared to a traditional fitness floor. Much of this technology requires only an introductory demonstration, and peer teaching is adequate for success. An instructor's job, then, morphs into that of a facilitator, and involves motivation, assessment and facility management - which may even include troubleshooting the equipment.

Additionally, as technology advancements approach light speed, certifying bodies are trailing behind. As of yet, there are no certifications for a technology fitness instructor, and that presents a host of challenges for managers looking to hire employees who are qualified for a position the industry hasn't yet defined.

Space. "Considerations related to space and cost certainly need to be taken into account," say Sanders and Hansen. Technologically enhanced equipment can have a bigger footprint than traditional fitness equipment, and have more electronic requirements. "Most popular equipment for kids appears to be linked to screen-based activities," they explain. "If there is something for the kids to watch on a screen while exercising that is interactive, it is popular, especially with the teenage groups." Also, new technology doesn't offer many multi-station options, so more equipment is often necessary to accommodate more users. "It certainly is important to understand what each piece of equipment has to offer," say Sanders and Hansen. "Many pieces are not necessarily 'multi-functional,' like a lot of traditional weight training machines in a club. Make sure you are educated about and understand the pieces that are most appropriate for your population."

Guidelines. For most of the industry, technology of this sort is uncharted territory. Familiar precautions should be taken before giving the green light to members, but there are other considerations that fall outside expected parameters. "We have found, especially with children, that there is a tendency for kids to not want to stop, and they continue to participate for longer and longer periods of time," say Sanders and Hansen. "In this time of inactivity among children, this is actually a nice problem to have. Parents and club professionals, however, should certainly provide guidelines for length of participation."

The future is now

For facilities interested in attracting young, tech-savvy exercisers now, with hopes of transitioning them to the traditional fitness floor as adults, the future is now. "From the standpoint of operating a diverse facility and appealing to a broad demographic, interactive fitness equipment in some form helps us meet our goals," says Rauch. "Like most facility operators, we want to keep pace with advances in our industry, and refer to our clubs as cutting-edge. LifePlex Health Club's goal is to identify specific market segments through multidimensional programming. This allows us to appeal to a broad market with a wide range of programming, while identifying those programs [that] will generate traffic and revenue. Interactive equipment in the current marketplace is an essential tool to accomplish these goals."

As manufacturers push more boundaries with new and better equipment, fitness facilities are getting more creative to find ways to make technology meet their members' needs. It's impossible to ignore that technology is redefining fitness as we know it.