How AR is Changing the World of Fitness

Staying healthy is now more important than ever. We’re gradually learning how to manage the pandemic as a society. While that includes observing health protocols and vaccinations, leading a healthy lifestyle is another key component. Fortunately, fitness is one of the many benefits of augmented reality (AR). As its use becomes more widespread, more people will come to know how AR is changing the face of wellness, exercise, and fitness.

Real-time Information

AR systems run in real-time, which means that they gather and generate information simultaneously on the spot. This lets AR blend virtual and real objects together, all while providing guidance and feedback for the person exercising in real-time through health tracking.

It’s crucial to monitor vital signs like temperature, aerobic activity, and heart rate when exercising. A KUTV 2 feature talks about how tracking the heart rate, in particular, helps determine how much you need to increase the intensity of your exercise. Moreover, tracking these vitals in real-time could help spot potential health issues and inconsistencies. AR’s ability to track these details makes for a responsive exercise experience and a potentially better, personalized fitness plan.

Immersive Experience and Engagement

Since AR is able to create a fully immersive space for exercise, where individuals get to interact with objects that aren’t physically there, workouts become more engaging. In fact, there’s a sense of gamification from working out with AR.

In a 2020 study, it was found that people who performed exercises in an interactive virtual environment considered it a fun activity rather than a workout routine that they were obligated to finish. These positive effects in mood were associated with improving endurance during the exercise, and better overall physical performance. For some people, exercise can seem like a daunting task. AR’s ability to transform it into an immersive and interactive – even gamified – experience, makes working out more appealing.

Convenience and Simplicity

Two of the biggest barriers to starting a fitness journey are first, simply starting, and second, finding the space to do it. According to registered clinical exercise physiologist Janet Huehls, she told Keep Moving Weekly that getting started could in fact be the most difficult part of the exercise. The use of AR helps ease people into fitness programs, as it can manage your whole routine. AR can even lead you through the entire exercise program through a virtual trainer.

A well-designed AR-based app can also guide individuals through warming up and cooling down before and after every session, which a fitness guide on Gala Bingo points out as key aspects of a good routine. By warming up and cooling down, helps your heart ease into the exercise and boosts muscle recovery and toning. The right app can help those new to exercise build these smart habits in a fun and immersive ways. AR also helps the body ease into exercising and allows you to adjust the difficulty as you go along. This way, exercise becomes a dynamic activity that you can eventually develop as a routine. Plus, AR lets you do a variety of exercises wherever you may physically be.

Frankly, AR could not have come at a better time. Fitness and health have become even more important for people nowadays, and AR is helping them achieve their goals in easier, more efficient, and fun ways. If you want to learn more about this technology, then check out our other AR write-ups.