LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18) — After a long day at work, the last thing many people want to do is go to the gym.
According to Dana Ensley at Lexington's Whitaker Family YMCA, 80% of our community are "health seekers," meaning they want to be healthy but don't know how.
“So, we had to think differently, outside the box,” Ensley said
As a result, they decided to bring EGYM to their gym.
“Basically, it helps keep them engaged, progressing, and they are going to see results, and that's most important, and that's motivating in and of itself,” she added.
This is an alternative to traditional weightlifting. This EGYM machine scans your body to collect health data, which is automatically uploaded to users' accounts.
“It’s all technology based and it’s all fed in to our computers, and our hub,” Ensley said.
“So I liked that. It was fun,” Marcy Kloiber said as she tried out the EGYM for the first time.
Kloiber likes that she doesn't have to write down her exercise programs or adjust her seat settings anymore. She just logs in to the machine with a wristband.
“It was nice, I just swiped my little armband and it adjusted it where it needed to be, and it already had the weights,” Kloiber noted.
These machines also come with a little bit of entertainment. While lifting, games are displayed on the touchscreen pad, where the goal is to collect coins. This way, if people don’t like working out, it doesn’t seem like a chore but more of a competition.
“It’s like gamification, you know? But you have to keep it in the little path, and every time you miss the coin, it is very frustrating,” Kloiber said.
The ultimate goal is to find a more personal way to approach the gym, so these "health seekers" turn into regular gym goers.
“The fulfilling part again is just somebody getting that initial kind of buzz,” Ensley concluded.
