
Getting enough exercise motivation can be tough. That’s especially true if you gained a few pounds during months of lockdown. Fortunately, the pandemic brought about a bit of good with the bad. One of the beneficial effects of all our time spent in quarantine is the increased availability of exercise apps. And this includes apps that offer immersive and virtual reality exercise. For many people, these offer just the thing to enhance their exercise motivation and get them off the couch.
With this in mind, there are a number of immersive and virtual reality exercise platforms to consider today. Some are rather unique and appeal to specific interests. Others offer greater distractions and social accountability to help our exercise motivation. Naturally, one app isn’t going to be ideal for everyone. But with so many options available today, you’re certain to find one to help you stay focused. The following are among the top immersive and virtual reality exercise apps you might want to consider.
- Dance Central – As its name implies, Dance Central is all about dancing. This virtual reality exercise app offers specifically choreographed dance instructions for a full-body workout. Routines vary and intermix a variety of songs from the 1970s to today. If dancing is good exercise motivation for you, you’ll likely enjoy Dance Central.
- RockMyRun – For those of you who prefer to run, this immersive platform can also help with exercise motivation. The app uses a specific Body Driven Music feature to select the perfect high-energy songs for your run. Songs are selected by fitness experts based on steps, cadence, and heart rate to optimize your experience.
- Sprint Vector – This virtual reality exercise platform was originally designed to reduce dizziness for those playing video games. But the actual arm swing motion required for propulsion offers a great VR fitness. (Read more about the virtual reality fitness revolution in this Project Bold Life story!) In addition, the game show-like feel and competitive nature of the game boost your exercise motivation. Expect to break a sweat with this one.
- Peloton Digital – Everyone is familiar today with Peloton, but not everyone appreciates the immersive power of its streaming workouts. Certainly, Peloton Digital offers a variety of exercises to prevent boredom. But its instructors also offer unique microgenres of entertainment that further enhance your exercise motivation. In fact, many of Peloton’s instructors have reached semi-celebrity status for their workout experiences.
- Beat Saber – If you enjoy swing a sword, a bat, or any kind of stick, Beat Saber might be appealing. This virtual reality exercise app lets you wield a sword around to the beat of the music. It’s a great way to combine exercise and entertainment in an immersive way. But to get a great workout, you’ll need to advance to the expert level of this app.
- Les Mills – Perhaps, you don’t think of Les Mills as immersive, but it’s specifically designed to boost your exercise motivation. From Body Pump, to Body Combat, to Body Flow, over 1,000 workouts are available. Each is curated by individual instructors and with energizing music to take your mind of the actual workout.
- Zombies, Run! – Do you hate Zombies? I mean, really afraid of them? If you do, then this ultra-immersive app will definitely take your mind off your run. Audio storytelling guides your run, but when zombies can be heard, you’d better pick up the pace! Though not for all, the gamification strategies used will boost exercise motivation and maximizes running benefits.
- Racquet NX – Imagine you’re playing squash or racquetball inside a digital hexagon. Whenever you strike the ball and it hits a panel, you either win points or lose them. Racquet NX is a great virtual reality exercise app for those who like these types of activities. Plus, they also allow single-player and multi-player games. But be sure you have plenty of space in which to play.
- Box VR – This is another great virtual reality exercise app for those who like a good boxing workout. The boxing routines also use gamification as well as musical rhythms to enhance coordination. You can use your own music or allow the app to choose for you. If you prefer an upper body workout, this may be a good app for you.
- Obé – This exercise platform is named after “Our Body Electric,” and it offers 22 live classes daily. Exercises include strength training, HIIT, dance and more. The immersive nature of this app is its vibrant colors with neon accents of its virtual studio. This as well as instructor engagement makes it feel like a mini-party all the time. For some, this is all it takes to boost their exercise motivation that keeps them coming back.
Immersive Exercise Opportunities for Everyone
As you can see, there are a variety of immersive and virtual reality exercise options today. Depending on your own specific interests, some will be better for you than others. But several can help you stay focused and boost your exercise motivation to help you get in better shape. Exercise shouldn’t be drudgery. Fortunately, the offerings above show that working out can not only be healthy but also quite fun!
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