{"id":4011,"date":"2023-05-22T07:09:42","date_gmt":"2023-05-22T00:09:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/what-to-know-about-the-gamification-of-fitness\/"},"modified":"2023-05-22T07:09:42","modified_gmt":"2023-05-22T00:09:42","slug":"what-to-know-about-the-gamification-of-fitness","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/?p=4011","title":{"rendered":"What To Know About the Gamification of Fitness"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-3711241968723425\"\r\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"drop-cap text-big text-gray\"> <span class=\"drop-cap__first text-dropcap \">A<\/span>s a kid, brain health coach <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org\/people\/ryan-glatt\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org\/people\/ryan-glatt\/\">Ryan Glatt<\/a>, CPT, NBC-HWC, says he was addicted to video games, overweight, and recovering from a concussion when he found <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FDance-Revolution-Playstation%2Fdp%2FB00005A774%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx10128-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fgamification-fitness%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fgamification-fitness%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Dance-Revolution-Playstation\/dp\/B00005A774\">Dance Dance Revolution<\/a>, the famous exercise video game, or &#8220;exergame,&#8221; that he says helped him get in better shape and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exergaming-brain-health\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exergaming-brain-health\/\">boost his brain health<\/a>.<\/div>\n<p>\u201cSince then, I&#8217;ve been fascinated with the intersection of gaming, brain health, behavior, and fitness,&#8221; says Glatt, who is now director of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org\/blog\/tag\/fitbrain\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.pacificneuroscienceinstitute.org\/blog\/tag\/fitbrain\/\">FitBrain program at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute<\/a>. &#8220;While we don\u2019t have a lot of clear evidence around the neurological mechanism of exergaming, we theorize that it can act on the reward pathways of the brain and engage areas responsible for goal-oriented behavior, such as the frontal lobe, while increasing levels of neurotransmitters associated with reward and excitability, such as <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/dopamine-vs-serotonin\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/dopamine-vs-serotonin\/\">dopamine<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-cortisol\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/exercise-cortisol\/\">cortisol<\/a>.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Glatt isn&#8217;t the only one who&#8217;s found success in the gamification fitness. The virtual reality (VR) fitness industry is steadily booming\u2014the global VR fitness game market was valued at $111 million in 2022, and it&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.htfmarketreport.com\/reports\/4233113-global-vr-fitness-game-market-growth\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.htfmarketreport.com\/reports\/4233113-global-vr-fitness-game-market-growth\">projected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 39.8 percent<\/a> from 2023 to 2029 according to an HTF Market Report.\u00a0Virtual fitness is not just hopping on a Peloton bike or following a guided workout on an app\u2014fitness can mean <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vr-workouts\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/vr-workouts\/\">queuing up a workout on your VR headset<\/a>, something that appeals to a broader net of people who may not resonate with other workout formats.<\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content \" style=\"\" data-module-init=\"related-content\" data-module-immediate=\"\" v-cloak=\"\">\n<div class=\"related-content__wrapper \" v-cloak=\"\" :class=\"{'is-loaded':isLoaded}\">\n<p> <span class=\"inline pr-6 text-seafoam-dark\">Related Stories<\/span> <\/p>\n<p> <related-content class=\"related-content__links\" parent-article-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gamification-fitness\/\" current-title=\"The Gamification of Fitness Is Booming, But What Are Its Benefits and Potential Downsides?\" current-image=\"IMG_2023-5-21-172003.jpg\" v-on:parsely-posts-loaded=\"onPostsLoaded\" start-date=\"2022-11-21\" tag=\"div\" inline-template=\"\" url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gamification-fitness\/\" secret=\"w5ztterVB03LGZJLfXS0hf3EvQBuFFIWew9hmVQxthU\" apikey=\"wellandgood.com\" limit=\"3\"> <\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"related-content__card mb-[10px] sm:mb-[20px]\" :class=\"{'related-content__card--full':posts.length === 1}\" v-for=\"(post, key) in posts\"> <a v-on:click.prevent=\"trackLinkGA($event, key)\" :href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gamification-fitness\/post.url\" data-url-source=\"related-content\" class=\"related-content__link\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"related-content__card--image bg-tan\" :style=\"{ backgroundImage: 'url(' + post.image_url + ')' }\"> <img :src=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/gamification-fitness\/post.image_url\" :alt=\"post.title\"\/> <\/div>\n<p> <\/a>  <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> <\/related-content> <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>VR is just one of the latest popular examples of the gamification of fitness, BTW, but it&#8217;s far from the only one. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fitness-video-games\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/fitness-video-games\/\">Fitness video games<\/a> like <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FRing-Fit-Adventure-Nintendo-Switch%2Fdp%2FB07XV4NHHN%3Ftag%3Dwgtrx10128-20%26asc_refurl%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.wellandgood.com%252Fgamification-fitness%252F%26asc_source%3Ddirect%26asc_campaign%3Dno-campaign&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fgamification-fitness%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/Ring-Fit-Adventure-Nintendo-Switch\/dp\/B07XV4NHHN\">Ring Fit on Nintendo Switc<\/a>h and the <a href=\"https:\/\/us.zwift.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/us.zwift.com\/\">Zwift app<\/a>, which turns at-home spin workoutsf into a game, are two more.<\/p>\n<h2>What is exergaming, exactly?<\/h2>\n<p>According to Glatt, true gamification of fitness (aka exergaming) means your workout has to provide some type of points or score system and have a goal-oriented outcome which, overall, helps drive motivation while you\u2019re being physically active. &#8220;In addition to this external focus on a goal, an individual can have what is called &#8216;enhanced expectancies,&#8217; which means they expect they can get better, outperform their prior performance, or achieve a specific goal,\u201d says Glatt.<\/p>\n<p>My sister is a nurse who works night shift at the hospital and has trouble squeezing workouts into her hectic schedule. When she got a <a href=\"https:\/\/clicks.trx-hub.com\/xid\/leafgroup_ca5e0_wellgood?q=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2Fs%3Fk%3Dmeta%2Bquest%2B2%2Bvr%2Bheadset%26amp%3Bhvadid%3D604591515302%26amp%3Bhvdev%3Dt%26amp%3Bhvlocphy%3D9004342%26amp%3Bhvnetw%3Dg%26amp%3Bhvqmt%3De%26amp%3Bhvrand%3D14979559117245601998%26amp%3Bhvtargid%3Dkwd-1597334927498%26amp%3Bhydadcr%3D5220_13159812%26amp%3Btag%3Dgooghydr-20%26amp%3Bref%3Dpd_sl_46hepxpim_e%26tag%3Dwellandgood19-20&amp;p=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.wellandgood.com%2Fgamification-fitness%2F&amp;event_type=click\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/s?k=meta+quest+2+vr+headset&amp;hvadid=604591515302&amp;hvdev=t&amp;hvlocphy=9004342&amp;hvnetw=g&amp;hvqmt=e&amp;hvrand=14979559117245601998&amp;hvtargid=kwd-1597334927498&amp;hydadcr=5220_13159812&amp;tag=googhydr-20&amp;ref=pd_sl_46hepxpim_e\">Meta Quest 2 VR Headset<\/a> she discovered the Supernatural VR fitness game that offers boxing and dance-like workouts that are music driven.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;It made me look forward to working out because it&#8217;s at my house and convenient for my schedule,&#8221; she says. &#8220;You get to immerse yourself in cool scenery all over the world, the music is good, and you get to pick what you want to listen to.&#8221; My sister also points out that the trainers in the game are particularly positive and motivating, which is much needed after working a 12-plus-hour-long shift at a hospital.<\/p>\n<h2>The benefits of gamifying fitness for your brain and body<\/h2>\n<p>It takes time to see gains when it comes to exercising, and that can make it hard to get motivated to work out, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drhaleyperlus.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.drhaleyperlus.com\/\">Haley Perlus<\/a>, PhD, a sports and performance psychology expert. &#8220;When we work out once, there is no instant physical benefit we can gauge, and when the reward isn&#8217;t instant, it&#8217;s hard to connect the action and form a good habit,\u201d she says. &#8220;Fitness gamification changes that by providing instant gratification through a daily reward system that helps to make [working out] a fun habit.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>A 2022 study published in the <em>International Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology<\/em> looked at a small group of 55 people who&#8217;s weekly exercise time fell short of the 150 minutes recommended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HSS) in their <a href=\"https:\/\/health.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2019-09\/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/health.gov\/sites\/default\/files\/2019-09\/Physical_Activity_Guidelines_2nd_edition.pdf\">physical activity guidelines for American adults<\/a>. Some participants were assigned to group exercise classes, and some were assigned to exergaming. Although the class participants worked out harder than the exergamers, the study found that the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2022\/03\/220322122546.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedaily.com\/releases\/2022\/03\/220322122546.htm\">exergamers reported having more fun<\/a>. And since enjoyment is one of the primary objectives of exercise, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/blog.nasm.org\/a-perfect-fitte-5-ways-to-customize-cardio-programming\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/blog.nasm.org\/a-perfect-fitte-5-ways-to-customize-cardio-programming\">FITTE principle<\/a> trainers use to program workouts, the findings, although from a small study, point to the potential for exergaming to be an alternative form of physical activity for those that don&#8217;t enjoy going to a gym or traditional workout classes.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/wegetfitdone?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/instagram.com\/wegetfitdone?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==\">Laura Flynn Endres<\/a> is a personal trainer who created an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wegetfitdone.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wegetfitdone.com\/\">online fitness game, Get Fit Done<\/a>, because she says it was difficult to keep her clients motivated week after week. &#8220;The best fitness program has a lot of repetition, and the first few weeks of a new program are the hardest. Gamifying it provides a fun distraction, improves compliance, and is &#8216;peer pressure done right,&#8217; &#8221; she says. The online fitness game, in which members earn points for their team through meeting certain goals, also creates a team dynamic which Endres says helps many people who don&#8217;t want to let others down. &#8220;Generally, accountability is far more important than we realize. Again, you\u2019ll show up more consistently for others than you will for yourself,&#8221; she adds.<\/p>\n<p>Glatt adds that the gamification of fitness offers unique health benefits in addition to helping you be more consistent with your workouts. &#8220;The exergaming literature, mostly on older adults, shows that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7367532\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/pmc\/articles\/PMC7367532\/\">exergaming has the potential to improve cognition, brain function, mood, and physical functioning<\/a>,&#8221; says Glatt, though, he adds that unfortunately, there isn\u2019t a lot of clear evidence around the ways exergaming works in the brain.<\/p>\n<h2>Are there downsides to the gamification of fitness?<\/h2>\n<p>The gamification of fitness may sound like, well, all fun and games, but some criticize its potential downsides, including the risk of becoming overly competitive or <em>too<\/em> driven by data. Like with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-relationship-fitness-tracker\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/www.wellandgood.com\/healthy-relationship-fitness-tracker\/\">any type of fitness tracking<\/a>, it\u2019s possible to develop an unhealthy relationship with your devices.<\/p>\n<p>Typically with exergaming you have a quantified element\u2014for example, tracking steps, calories, miles, and on. A 2016 journal article found that <a href=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jcr\/article-abstract\/42\/6\/967\/2358309?redirectedFrom=fulltext\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener nofollow\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-vars-event=\"body text\" data-vars-click-url=\"https:\/\/academic.oup.com\/jcr\/article-abstract\/42\/6\/967\/2358309?redirectedFrom=fulltext\">quantification of activity reduces enjoyment<\/a>, and may cause people to become disengaged or less motivated as a result.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;There are always those with an obsessive nature,\u201d says Dr. Perlus. \u201cThis can occur using a simple wristwatch, stopwatch, or simply by someone counting reps. If someone recognizes that they fixate on numbers and rewards, they may want to speak with a trainer or psychologist if they become too engaged in gamification.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Even with these potential downsides, exergaming is carving out a new exercise niche and engaging people who did&#8217;nt like to workout before\u2014and getting more people to exercise while having fun is no small feat. And by in large, with guardrails and self-awareness, the gamification of fitness has the potential to improve the workout experience for those who lack motivation to exercise. As such, it may be a good introductory exercise for those who aren&#8217;t already active since it offers a higher level of engagement than working out on your own\u2014with lower overhead costs than hiring a personal trainer or joining a gym or studio, Dr. Perlus points out. &#8220;Gamification makes fitness customizable, personal, private and motivating,&#8221; she says.<\/p>\n<div class=\"disclaimers__after_content mb-[18px] mt-[16px] pt-[16px]\">\n<div class=\"outline-earmark relative mt-[8px] pt-[10px] pl-[20px]\">\n<p>\n            Our editors independently select these products. Making a purchase through our links may earn Well+Good a commission.          <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async defer src=\"https:\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><div data-type=\"_mgwidget\" data-widget-id=\"1675549\">\r\n<\/div>\r\n<script>(function(w,q){w[q]=w[q]||[];w[q].push([\"_mgc.load\"])})(window,\"_mgq\");\r\n<\/script>\r\n<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>As a kid, brain health coach Ryan Glatt, CPT, NBC-HWC, says he was addicted to video games, overweight, and recovering from a concussion when he found Dance Dance Revolution, the famous exercise video game, or &#8220;exergame,&#8221; that he says helped him get in better shape and boost his brain health. \u201cSince then, I&#8217;ve been fascinated &hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4012,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4011","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4011"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4011\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4012"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4011"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4011"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/loudhdtv.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4011"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}