“But exercise is boring!”—it’s a workout excuse that is completely invalid in 2018. Gone are the days when getting fit meant you had to stare at a wall while slogging it out on a treadmill for an hour. Now, there’s an exercise class to suit every taste and style, whether it’s HIIT in a nightclub-esque environment or doing yoga in an aerial hammock. And in case you still couldn’t find anything that didn’t bore you, the immersive fitness trend has completely blown that excuse out of the water entirely.
In case you need a refresher, immersive fitness creates a multi-sensory experience by tapping into your sense of sight, sound, smell and sometimes even taste! This could be cycling through futuristic vortexes via massive screens at one of Les Mill’s The Trip classes, or the calming graphics, aromatherapy, chanting and sound baths in a yoga class at The Woom Centre in NYC.
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It’s safe to say that nobody could be bored while experiencing one of these classes. Plus, research shows that immersive fitness experiences can actually make exercise easier, by increasing workout satisfaction and making you feel like you’re exerting less effort!
So far, the immersive fitness trend has been limited to in-person group classes at a handful of studios across the world. Which bring us to yet another workout excuse: “Yeah, but I can’t make it to those classes!” However, this is about to change, with immersive fitness at home set to be one biggest fitness trends of 2019.
How immersive fitness is entering the home
One of the biggest innovators in home-based immersive fitness is US-based company, Peloton. Their bikes allow you to create an immersive indoor cycling experience, streaming daily live classes from their NYC studio directly into your home. They also recently expanded with the Peloton Tread, which allows you to experience a range of live cardio and strength workouts from the comfort of your living room.
Meanwhile, start-up MIRROR recently launched the world’s first nearly invisible home gym. A full-length mirror transforms into a sleek, interactive display, allowing you to take part in 50+ cardio, strength, boxing and yoga classes from their studio in New York. Complete with an embedded camera and speakers, it truly creates an immersive, in-person group environment.
In Australia, W1LL Studio is at the forefront the immersive fitness trend—their yoga and meditation classes are accompanied with a calming soundtrack and cinematic visuals of beautiful scenery. Recently, they’ve expanded their offering to allow people to experience their multi-sensory sessions from anywhere in the world—so long as they have a laptop, phone, tablet or TV!
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At the same time, Black Box VR is pioneering virtual reality fitness with headsets that create a video game-esque experience as you work out. No doubt it’s only a matter of time before we can start using these headsets at home!
Yep, the future of at-home fitness has arrived—and we are SO here for it.
