It’s all fun in games until someone actually exercises

We all know them, that one guy or girl who can get up every morning at 6 a.m. and run 10 kilometers, then continue on with the rest of their day thinking what they do is normal.

But what about the rest of us who find it difficult to exercise at all because we can’t find a sliver of motivation? Many people have turned to technology to solve this problem.

People buy Fitbits, smartwatches and apps to keep themselves on regular routines. They post their progress and gain support. Or they might buy fitness video games like Just Dance and Wii Fit to trick themselves into thinking exercise is as fun as Fallout.

Brittany Villeneuve, 25, studied early childhood education online and has been using her Fitbit since she got it in 2014.

“I use my Fitbit daily,” says Villeneuve. “I enter in challenges with other people that I know, or from Instagram, and we use each other to motivate each other.”

Villeneuve says she was never very active beforehand. Acquiring a Fitbit and having people to support and challenge her on social media, was critical to helping her with her weight loss and gain an appreciation for health and fitness.

But that’s not the case for everybody. Wayne Boucher, the fitness and wellness coordinator at Algonquin, says that 60 per cent of students will not make it a habit.

Boucher says that regardless, the motivation students receive from investing in fitness technology and linking it to their social media helps them stick with it a bit longer.

Leah Allcorn, 26, studies professional writing at Algonquin College and invested into the gaming side of fitness technology. Allcorn says that she played Wii Fit and Just Dance on and off for a few weeks before she got bored. Her boyfriend says it was really a week.

“The fact that I didn’t keep it up made me feel bad and I would reject it,” says Allcorn of her Wii Fit and other fitness games.

“I think it’s part of our culture to be more interested in movies, TV and video games and not have a focus on health.”

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