TECHNOLOGY
Will innovations such as ActiPed (left) and miCoach (above) make health clubs redundant, or will it open up new opportunities?
adds value to the membership,” says Landau. “The key message is that it’s not a replacement but a complement to gym membership, adding a new dimension whereby your entire lifestyle can be managed, as opposed to just the days you make it to the club.” The ActiPed from FitLinxx adopts
a similar approach, using a shoe- clip pedometer that tracks steps, calories burned and distance travelled, uploading the data wirelessly to a computer. The supporting website,
actihealth.com, displays the information in an engaging way, allowing users to
The Ki Fit System is designed to monitor daily activity
easily track progress, set goals, create challenges and join communities. Somerset Leisure is currently using
ActiPed as part of wellness programmes and outreach initiatives from its 13 sites, targeting a wide range of at-risk populations. Its fi tness facilities are mostly located in secondary schools and run commercially out of school hours, and the fi rst phase of ActiPed use targeted pupils struggling to engage during PE. The pupils were offered alternatives to traditional forms of PE, and their activity levels and engagement were tracked via ActiPed. The next phase will be aimed at commercial members, with the in-house weight management course being the fi rst to benefi t from the technology.
ACHIEVING GOALS Moving even closer to the territory of weight loss, the Ki Fit System from Ki Performance is another gadget – a multi-sensor armband – designed to monitor daily activity and calorie consumption. Originally created to ensure intensive care patients consumed
november/december 2010 © cybertrek 2010
the right number of calories, the technology is clinically proven and has only recently been made available to the wider market. Again, daily activity is recorded and
the information downloaded to the Online Activity Manager, where it’s translated into data to help change behaviour and achieve personal goals. If worn at night, Ki Fit also measures sleep duration and effi ciency, which the manufacturers claim gives insights that no other weight loss tool can. As it’s not a heart rate monitor, GPS
or pedometer, Ki Fit provides an accurate insight into how many calories people are burning, even at rest when they’re sitting to eat dinner or driving the car. According to Amie Rutter, business
development director, the Ki Fit System is ideally suited to the fi tness and wellbeing industry as it’s designed for users who have access to the sort of support and advice provided by a club. This sets up a virtuous circle, as the user sees results and consequently wants to keep up their membership. The Ki Fit System has already been
Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital 43
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