GET FIT TECH
Sign up for the FREE digital edition of Fit Tech magazine and also get the Fit Tech ezine and breaking news email alerts.
Not right now, thanksclose this window I've already subscribed!
Comasia Limited | Fit Tech promotion
Comasia Limited | Fit Tech promotion
Comasia Limited | Fit Tech promotion
FIT TECH News

Gamified VR fitness scheme launches to improve employee health

By
Digital health company Sharecare has launched Get Active, a VR fitness programme to improve workers' health and fitness levels
An eight-week pilot tracking 250 Lennar Corporation employees showed an average increase of 118 minutes of physical activity in VR fitness per week
Members receive a Meta Quest 2 VR headset, an exercise guide and a three-month subscription to fitness app Supernatural (US and Canada only)
According to IHRSA, inactivity costs the US healthcare system US$84.7bn annually with every inactive worker costing the economy US$3,447 per year
While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations, Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation
Credit: Lennar Corporation
While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations
– Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation

Sharecare, a US-based digital health platform, has launched a corporate scheme called Get Active which aims to increase the exercise levels of employees through VR fitness games.

Sharecare ran an eight-week pilot in 2022 with property development company Lennar Corporation, which produced such positive results that the scheme is now being made available to all commercial clients.

The pilot divided 250 Lennar Corporation employees into two groups. The first comprised 60 high risk individuals, who considered themselves sedentary, as they took less than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. The second cohort comprised 190 participants.

Findings so far – result data is still being crunched by clinicians – showed that group one had an engagement rate of 82 per cent (defined as actively recording exercise minutes each week) and averaged 280 per cent more exercise each week than before starting the scheme.

This broke down as 82 minutes per week of activity in VR, on average, and resulted in around 2.5 times more physical activity outside of VR than before the pilot.

The second group had an 88 per cent engagement rate and increased their exercise habits by an average of 103 minutes each week.

Overall, engaged users – across both groups – averaged 118 minutes of physical activity in VR per week.

Once enrolled into Get Active’s scheme, members receive a Meta Quest 2 VR headset, an exercise guide and a free three-month subscription to fitness app Supernatural (limited to the US and Canada). The minutes recorded by the headset while exercising are transferred to the Sharecare app and this data is used for tracking progress and employer reward programmes.

"We have a strong track record of investing in innovation, including VR, to improve our comprehensive wellbeing platform and the employee experience,” said William Janis, senior vice president of health advocacy at Sharecare. “We're excited to differentiate our whole health benefits offering on behalf of our partners and their populations with a unique and approachable programme that's fun and naturally engaging for employees of all fitness levels, while improving outcomes and reducing costs.”

Get Active is available to the company’s Sharecare+ members, which provides an app-centric holistic health programme to users. It includes lifestyle coaching, direct communication with health advisors, a personalised health profile and text and phone support. Those who aren’t part of Sharecare+ can get access to Get Active through a buy-up scheme.

The company says it actively recommends that the programme be undertaken by those who do “less than an hour of exercise each week and have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions: obesity, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, congestive heart failure and hypercholesterolemia”.

"While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations and feedback from our highest risk associates has been very positive,” said Dr Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation. “Sharecare has demonstrated its continued commitment to innovation and driving sustained employee engagement, and we are excited to expand Get Active to more Lennar associates this year."

The nature of VR fitness aligns with experts’ recommendations for short bursts of exercise to increase fitness levels and prevent the onset of disease.

A recent study from the Physiological Society showed that six minutes of high-intensity exercise could delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

A report from Deloitte, Economic Health and Societal Wellbeing: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health and Fitness Sector, released by The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA), with IHRSA, reported that inactivity costs the US healthcare system US$84.7bn annually with every inactive worker costing the economy US$3,447 per year.

In the UK, inactivity costs the NHS US$4.3bn a year and 43.8m working days are lost annually in absenteeism and presenteeism, at a cost of £13.6bn (US$16.5bn).

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that if US adults increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by just ten minutes each day, around 110,000 deaths a year could be prevented.

More fit tech news
Fitronics will host its first-ever customer experience-focussed Summit, ConnectCX, on 3 October in Solihull, UK, in partnership with Proinsight. Held ...
promotion • 13 Sep 2023
US longevity franchise Serotonin Centers has expanded its footprint with a second Florida location in Winter Park. The brand will ...
news • 12 Sep 2023
Members of Crunch Fitness gyms can now enter their club using the Amazon One palm recognition service. The franchised fitness ...
news • 09 Sep 2023
Garmin has launched its Venu 3 and Venu 3S GPS smartwatches, which offer a number of upgraded fitness and wellness ...
news • 09 Sep 2023
A new fitness franchise launches its first location tomorrow in Irving-Las Colinas, Texas (9 September 2023), looking to establish itself ...
news • 08 Sep 2023
John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) has partnered with fitness tech firm Ocuray to create a neurofitness training wearable designed specifically ...
news • 31 Aug 2023
Improved mental health is now a stronger motivation for Brits to exercise than staying in shape. More than half of ...
More HCM news
The company behind Centr, the fitness, mental health, nutrition and lifestyle app created by Chris Hemsworth, and his coach, Luke ...
news • 31 Aug 2023
The best heart rate for burning fat differs hugely between individuals and often does not align with the suggested “fat ...
news • 22 Aug 2023
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – the world governing body for cycling – is moving its Esports World Championships onto ...
news • 21 Aug 2023
Peloton, which announced a major rebrand in May is also relaunching into the B2B market as Peloton for Business, which ...
news • 18 Aug 2023
Freeletics has released a new feature designed to help users track their progress, visualise their fitness status and encourage training ...
news • 28 Jul 2023
Fitness tech company Tempo has released a large update, adding a number of features which leverage the capabilities of both ...
news • 13 Jul 2023
Egym has completed a Series F financing round which will see it raise up to €207m (US$225m) in growth capital. ...
news • 12 Jul 2023
Virtuagym has added to its range of training solutions with the launch of Virtuagym AI Coach. Powered by artificial intelligence, ...
news • 11 Jul 2023
Myzone has launched a premium suite of services, offering health club operators three elements which utilise its heart-rate tracking tech ...
news • 06 Jul 2023
Precor has signed a global distribution deal with Stages Cycling, manufacturer of commercial indoor cycles, power meters and cycle computers. ...
news • 03 Jul 2023
Online fitness platform, Zwift, has launched the first game controllers designed specifically for its virtual cycling workouts. Called Zwift Play, ...
news • 30 Jun 2023
Xponential Fitness is expanding the selection of digital workouts it provides to Lululemon Studio, increasing the number of branded workouts ...
news • 12 Jun 2023
Big news today from Apple’s WWDC2023 event in Cupertino, where the company revealed plans to focus on cycling, with new ...
news • 06 Jun 2023
Oliver Cahill, managing director of Premier Software part of Journey Hospitality, is well-versed in assisting spa operators world-over. As spa ...
promotion • 24 May 2023
Whoop has launched its new Strength Trainer feature, allowing members to measure strength training exercises and assess the impact of ...
news • 15 May 2023
US fitness tech firm Fitscope has secured a deal with equipment manufacturer Bodycraft to supply its on-demand workouts for Bodycraft's ...
news • 11 May 2023
Elevate is the leading UK trade show for physical activity, showcasing the latest innovations and technology across the sport, sports ...
promotion • 04 May 2023
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) has unveiled the Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public ...
news • 03 May 2023
The world of fitness is undergoing a transformation. During the pandemic, people invested in home workout equipment and virtual training ...
product innovation • 27 Apr 2023
Marvel is launching a new fitness adventure app, allowing people to take part in workouts next to heroes such as ...
news • 20 Apr 2023
Technogym is making its Mywellness ecosystem accessible on any connected equipment – from any manufacturer. The move means operators who ...
news • 14 Apr 2023
Fitness franchise operator Anytime Fitness has launched a new app, offering members 24/7 engagement with their fitness inside and outside ...
news • 14 Apr 2023
Xponential Fitness is launching its digital platform, Xponential+, on all LG Electronics Smart TVs globally. Described as a landmark deal, ...
news • 13 Apr 2023
Gympass has signed a global partnership with fitness tech firm Magicline, which will see the aggregator strengthen its power of ...
news • 11 Apr 2023
More fit tech news
Fitronics will host its first-ever customer experience-focussed Summit, ConnectCX, on 3 October in Solihull, UK, in partnership with Proinsight.
Virtuagym is a global provider of health and fitness technology for coaching, engagement and management ...
InBody provides products that are accurate, medically rated holding a CE mark and certified to ...
Flooring
trade associations
Independent service & maintenance
Digital
Cryotherapy
Fitronics will host its first-ever customer experience-focussed Summit, ConnectCX, on 3 October in Solihull, UK, in partnership with Proinsight.
Virtuagym is a global provider of health and fitness technology for coaching, engagement and management ...
InBody provides products that are accurate, medically rated holding a CE mark and certified to ...
Get Fit Tech
Sign up for the free Fit Tech ezine and breaking news alerts
Sign up
Flooring
trade associations
Independent service & maintenance
Digital
Cryotherapy

features

App analysis

Going hybrid

Workout Anytime created its app in partnership with Virtuagym. Workout Anytime’s Greg Maurer and Virtuagym’s Hugo Braam explain the process behind its creation
Fit Tech people

Jamie Buck

Co-founder, Active in Time
We created a solution called AiT Voice, which turns digital data into a spoken audio timetable that connects to phone systems
Profile

Sohail Rashid

The app is free and it’s $40 to participate in one of our virtual events
Research

Physical activity monitors boost activity levels

Researchers at the University of Copenhagen have conducted a meta analysis of all relevant research and found that the body of evidence shows an impact
Profile

New reality

Sam Cole, CEO of FitXR, talks to Fit Tech about taking digital workouts to the next level, with an immersive, virtual reality fitness club
Fit Tech people

Ali Jawad

Paralympic powerlifter and founder, Accessercise
Users can easily identify which facilities in the UK are accessible to the disabled community
Opinion

Building on the blockchain

For small sports teams looking to compete with giants, blockchain can be a secret weapon explains Lars Rensing, CEO of Protokol
Editor's letter

Into the fitaverse

Fitness is already among the top three markets in the metaverse, with new technology and partnerships driving real growth and consumer engagement that looks likely to spill over into health clubs, gyms and studios
Ageing

Reverse Ageing

Many apps help people track their health, but Humanity founders Peter Ward and Michael Geer have put the focus on ageing, to help users to see the direct repercussions of their habits. They talk to Steph Eaves
App analysis

Check your form

Sency’s motion analysis technology is allowing users to check their technique as they exercise. Co-founder and CEO Gal Rotman explains how
Fit Tech people

Hannes Sjöblad

MD, DSruptive
We want to give our users an implantable tool that allows them to collect their health data at any time and in any setting
Innovation

Bold move

Our results showed a greater than 60 per cent reduction in falls for individuals who actively participated in Bold’s programme
More features
FIT TECH News

Gamified VR fitness scheme launches to improve employee health

By
Digital health company Sharecare has launched Get Active, a VR fitness programme to improve workers' health and fitness levels
An eight-week pilot tracking 250 Lennar Corporation employees showed an average increase of 118 minutes of physical activity in VR fitness per week
Members receive a Meta Quest 2 VR headset, an exercise guide and a three-month subscription to fitness app Supernatural (US and Canada only)
According to IHRSA, inactivity costs the US healthcare system US$84.7bn annually with every inactive worker costing the economy US$3,447 per year
While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations, Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation
Credit: Lennar Corporation
While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations
– Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation

Sharecare, a US-based digital health platform, has launched a corporate scheme called Get Active which aims to increase the exercise levels of employees through VR fitness games.

Sharecare ran an eight-week pilot in 2022 with property development company Lennar Corporation, which produced such positive results that the scheme is now being made available to all commercial clients.

The pilot divided 250 Lennar Corporation employees into two groups. The first comprised 60 high risk individuals, who considered themselves sedentary, as they took less than 60 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week. The second cohort comprised 190 participants.

Findings so far – result data is still being crunched by clinicians – showed that group one had an engagement rate of 82 per cent (defined as actively recording exercise minutes each week) and averaged 280 per cent more exercise each week than before starting the scheme.

This broke down as 82 minutes per week of activity in VR, on average, and resulted in around 2.5 times more physical activity outside of VR than before the pilot.

The second group had an 88 per cent engagement rate and increased their exercise habits by an average of 103 minutes each week.

Overall, engaged users – across both groups – averaged 118 minutes of physical activity in VR per week.

Once enrolled into Get Active’s scheme, members receive a Meta Quest 2 VR headset, an exercise guide and a free three-month subscription to fitness app Supernatural (limited to the US and Canada). The minutes recorded by the headset while exercising are transferred to the Sharecare app and this data is used for tracking progress and employer reward programmes.

"We have a strong track record of investing in innovation, including VR, to improve our comprehensive wellbeing platform and the employee experience,” said William Janis, senior vice president of health advocacy at Sharecare. “We're excited to differentiate our whole health benefits offering on behalf of our partners and their populations with a unique and approachable programme that's fun and naturally engaging for employees of all fitness levels, while improving outcomes and reducing costs.”

Get Active is available to the company’s Sharecare+ members, which provides an app-centric holistic health programme to users. It includes lifestyle coaching, direct communication with health advisors, a personalised health profile and text and phone support. Those who aren’t part of Sharecare+ can get access to Get Active through a buy-up scheme.

The company says it actively recommends that the programme be undertaken by those who do “less than an hour of exercise each week and have been diagnosed with one of the following conditions: obesity, pre-diabetes, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, congestive heart failure and hypercholesterolemia”.

"While I was optimistic going into this pilot, engagement across the board exceeded our expectations and feedback from our highest risk associates has been very positive,” said Dr Pascal Goldschmidt, chief medical officer of Lennar Corporation. “Sharecare has demonstrated its continued commitment to innovation and driving sustained employee engagement, and we are excited to expand Get Active to more Lennar associates this year."

The nature of VR fitness aligns with experts’ recommendations for short bursts of exercise to increase fitness levels and prevent the onset of disease.

A recent study from the Physiological Society showed that six minutes of high-intensity exercise could delay the onset of neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

A report from Deloitte, Economic Health and Societal Wellbeing: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health and Fitness Sector, released by The Global Health & Fitness Alliance (GHFA), with IHRSA, reported that inactivity costs the US healthcare system US$84.7bn annually with every inactive worker costing the economy US$3,447 per year.

In the UK, inactivity costs the NHS US$4.3bn a year and 43.8m working days are lost annually in absenteeism and presenteeism, at a cost of £13.6bn (US$16.5bn).

The CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) estimates that if US adults increased moderate-to-vigorous physical activity by just ten minutes each day, around 110,000 deaths a year could be prevented.

More fit tech news
Fitronics will host its first-ever customer experience-focussed Summit, ConnectCX, on 3 October in Solihull, UK, in partnership with Proinsight. Held ...
promotion • 13 Sep 2023
US longevity franchise Serotonin Centers has expanded its footprint with a second Florida location in Winter Park. The brand will ...
news • 12 Sep 2023
Members of Crunch Fitness gyms can now enter their club using the Amazon One palm recognition service. The franchised fitness ...
news • 09 Sep 2023
Garmin has launched its Venu 3 and Venu 3S GPS smartwatches, which offer a number of upgraded fitness and wellness ...
news • 09 Sep 2023
A new fitness franchise launches its first location tomorrow in Irving-Las Colinas, Texas (9 September 2023), looking to establish itself ...
news • 08 Sep 2023
John McEnroe Tennis Academy (JMTA) has partnered with fitness tech firm Ocuray to create a neurofitness training wearable designed specifically ...
news • 31 Aug 2023
Improved mental health is now a stronger motivation for Brits to exercise than staying in shape. More than half of ...
More HCM news
The company behind Centr, the fitness, mental health, nutrition and lifestyle app created by Chris Hemsworth, and his coach, Luke ...
news • 31 Aug 2023
The best heart rate for burning fat differs hugely between individuals and often does not align with the suggested “fat ...
news • 22 Aug 2023
The Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) – the world governing body for cycling – is moving its Esports World Championships onto ...
news • 21 Aug 2023
Peloton, which announced a major rebrand in May is also relaunching into the B2B market as Peloton for Business, which ...
news • 18 Aug 2023
Freeletics has released a new feature designed to help users track their progress, visualise their fitness status and encourage training ...
news • 28 Jul 2023
Fitness tech company Tempo has released a large update, adding a number of features which leverage the capabilities of both ...
news • 13 Jul 2023
Egym has completed a Series F financing round which will see it raise up to €207m (US$225m) in growth capital. ...
news • 12 Jul 2023
Virtuagym has added to its range of training solutions with the launch of Virtuagym AI Coach. Powered by artificial intelligence, ...
news • 11 Jul 2023
Myzone has launched a premium suite of services, offering health club operators three elements which utilise its heart-rate tracking tech ...
news • 06 Jul 2023
Precor has signed a global distribution deal with Stages Cycling, manufacturer of commercial indoor cycles, power meters and cycle computers. ...
news • 03 Jul 2023
Online fitness platform, Zwift, has launched the first game controllers designed specifically for its virtual cycling workouts. Called Zwift Play, ...
news • 30 Jun 2023
Xponential Fitness is expanding the selection of digital workouts it provides to Lululemon Studio, increasing the number of branded workouts ...
news • 12 Jun 2023
Big news today from Apple’s WWDC2023 event in Cupertino, where the company revealed plans to focus on cycling, with new ...
news • 06 Jun 2023
Oliver Cahill, managing director of Premier Software part of Journey Hospitality, is well-versed in assisting spa operators world-over. As spa ...
promotion • 24 May 2023
Whoop has launched its new Strength Trainer feature, allowing members to measure strength training exercises and assess the impact of ...
news • 15 May 2023
US fitness tech firm Fitscope has secured a deal with equipment manufacturer Bodycraft to supply its on-demand workouts for Bodycraft's ...
news • 11 May 2023
Elevate is the leading UK trade show for physical activity, showcasing the latest innovations and technology across the sport, sports ...
promotion • 04 May 2023
The Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) has unveiled the Thich Nhat Hanh Center for Mindfulness in Public ...
news • 03 May 2023
The world of fitness is undergoing a transformation. During the pandemic, people invested in home workout equipment and virtual training ...
product innovation • 27 Apr 2023
Marvel is launching a new fitness adventure app, allowing people to take part in workouts next to heroes such as ...
news • 20 Apr 2023
Technogym is making its Mywellness ecosystem accessible on any connected equipment – from any manufacturer. The move means operators who ...
news • 14 Apr 2023
Fitness franchise operator Anytime Fitness has launched a new app, offering members 24/7 engagement with their fitness inside and outside ...
news • 14 Apr 2023
Xponential Fitness is launching its digital platform, Xponential+, on all LG Electronics Smart TVs globally. Described as a landmark deal, ...
news • 13 Apr 2023
Gympass has signed a global partnership with fitness tech firm Magicline, which will see the aggregator strengthen its power of ...
news • 11 Apr 2023
More fit tech news