Whether moving into the new year or just browsing to see what new systems are available, it’s easy to get caught up in the landscape of exercise tech. It’s also easy to get carried away, where our drive to jump in can leave us floundering in the deep with systems we never use.
For the sake of finding exercise tech that you’ll really want to jump on, it’s important to start with a measured approach, working yourself up to find what’s best for you.
Best Intentions
If you’re new to the world of exercise, then it’s natural to be hopeful and even excited about what’s to come. Getting fit has an enormous number of advantages that improve your life, and you’ve doubtless seen what others can accomplish when they’ve put their minds to it.
While it is recommended that you take examples from others, you need to remember that what works for them might not work for you.
This is the crux of the issue with exercise tech. As helpful and fun as so many machines and systems can be to the right person, in the wrong hands they will feel boring, useless and almost torturous.
The best place to start with exercise tech is like the best place to start with exercise itself: with experimenting. Try as many different exercises as you can, see which ones you love and which ones you don’t, and if possible, try out the systems before you buy.
Starting Small
The larger the system is, the more intrusive it can be, and the less flexible. A home gym might be great to look at, but on your days off, it can taunt you with feelings of failure. We’d recommend your first steps, pun partially intended, come from smartphone and smartwatch apps.
Smartphones especially are ubiquitous, so they won’t require any additional investment. To get started with a mobile device, all you need to do is download an exercise app like Glo for yoga or Strava for running to help keep track of your progress.
There are even gamification systems like Zombies, Run! if you want to add additional entertainment to the process.
From here, you can also rely on mobiles as reward systems for a job well done. Games like bingo online, for example, can be great as encouragement between sets.
Casual games like Ready Set Go Go Bingo or the Sweet Power Nudge slot machine are highly flexible and don’t require a lot of time investment, so they can add more fun to the equation.
Dial it Up
After a few weeks of trying different exercises and apps, you should have some idea of what works for you and what doesn’t. Sometimes, the starting systems can be enough to keep you engaged, which is great.
Other times, a real passion might encourage you to take things a step further with a higher-tech system like a Peloton or treadmill. Again, we’d recommend a small rental period if possible, as there can be more of an adjustment than you might think.
Whatever your choice, know that setbacks are natural, and every misstep is an opportunity to learn. Over time, you’ll be able to work out the perfect customised system, plans, and tech that work for you.
Just remember to work with ones that record your progress, so that one day you can look back and marvel at how far you’ve come.