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Can You Use VR to Get Fit?

Tired of doing time at the gym? VR is causing a stir in the fitness industry.

Last year, high-end virtual reality (VR) headsets — including Oculus Rift and HTC Vive — finally made it into the hands of consumers. While the industry has mostly focused on gaming and entertainment applications, a few start-ups have decided to go the fitness route.

And why not? Going to the gym is notoriously boring. It’s no surprise that 80 percent of people who sign up for a gym membership in January quit after just five months. Breaking the monotony of sitting on a stationary bike or running on a treadmill seems like a pretty viable business plan.

The Wii caused so much buzz for this very reason. When Wii Fit was first released in late 2007, it came with balance games, yoga, strength training, and aerobics. Though the game was well-received by critics, the Journal of Physical Activity and Health later published a study indicating that Wii aerobics didn’t maintain an intense enough heart rate to uphold cardiorespiratory fitness.

Fail.

Though countless other simulators and virtual trainers have appeared on the market since then, VR headsets and gadgets seem the most promising when it comes to making people forget they're exercising.

For many, though, exorbitant price tags are still a deterrent. Considering the options currently on the market, you can expect to pay between $600 and $800 USD for a VR headset. You’ll also need the application, including any auxiliary gadgets and controllers, in addition to a VR-compatible computer, which can cost upwards of $1,500 USD.

If you’re willing to shell out, companies such as Blue Goji, Holodia, Icaros, Virtuix, and VirZOOM claim to have the solution for your exercise motivation problem. Blue Goji allows users to co-opt a “dumb” elliptical, stepper, or stationary bike and Holodia’s Holofit™ software platform works with a rowing machine, a stationary bike, or an elliptical.

Other companies require the user to purchase “smart” equipment — like the Icaros flying simulator, the Virtuix Omni platform, or the VirZOOM exercise bike controller.

While it’s cool to think of seeing the far-reaches of the galaxy, fighting dragons, or racing from rooftop to rooftop through a virtual exercise program, there are still some kinks to work out.

If you can get past the price, the next thing you might be wondering is where to put your new VR-compatible equipment. For those of us who never had the space for a normal elliptical or treadmill, it's a good thing the gym isn't going anywhere.

And then there’s the headset. Not only is it bulky, but wearing it while working out means that when the sweat starts to drip it can get pretty hot and sticky in there.

Reviewers have also called some systems too simplistic, and others awkward and unnatural. One wondered whether the novelty of VR fitness would last. Sound familiar?

The bottom line? Getting fit with VR is possible if you have a bunch of money, extra space, and a high tolerance for getting salty sweat in your eyes. For the rest of us, there's always the gym.

[Image via Getty]

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