Welcome to our next experiment with virtual and mixed reality!! In the Fall of 2022 we did a two month experiment for “VR for Productivity” using exclusively Virtual Reality to see if such spaces could be useful in the workplace. The results were very positive, though never published publicly. Part of the reason for the lack of follow through with that first experiment was my own health. I have struggled for the past 1.5 years with various issues, and I’m finally at a point where I can begin to regain lost strength and get to a much healthier place. This task before me is daunting and I hate working out. But I also have a bunch of fitness tools in my house, so I thought it was a perfect time to do another experiment.
Combining “Fitness and Technology” gives us “FiTech”!! This one will truly be “mixed reality”, using the powerful full-color passthrough of the Meta Quest 3 in many instances. I am also pairing things like cadence trackers to my spin bike and elliptical to create synched VR experiences. So far it’s been going great!!
As I did with the VR for Productivity experiment, I will list the tools I am using. In the coming weeks I will include reviews of these tools, as I use them more often. These include hardware and software.
My home gym consists of a treadmill, elliptical, and spin bike. I have equipped both the elliptical and bike with a cadence tracker that allows me to link my physical movements with movement in virtual reality. I also have a CrossRope, which I use for jumping rope 5 days a week. I use a quarter pound rope at the moment, but also have a half pound rope option that I might switch to at some point. I also use a HydrateSpark smart water bottle to track water consumption, a Withings Scale and Blood Pressure cuff, and I use an Oura Ring for the majority of my metrics tracking. In addition to hardware I am using three pieces of software for VR Fitness. I use Supernatural VR for cardio boxing, Holodia Holofit for Cadence tracker Spin Bike and Elliptical, and Meta Browser to watch YouTube while walking on the treadmill. Finally I use the software NOOM for tracking calories and tying all my health metrics together. I might add more software during the experiment if it makes sense, but this is where things begin. (I also use a Quest 3 for VR exclusively)
Each week I will post my weekly summary of all activities and some health metrics to help show how these activities are impacting my overall health. Hopefully these numbers trend in a positive direction, but only time will tell.
I will modify these posts as it makes sense. This is just where we begin. These are changes I must make and I am happy to share this journey publicly, in hopes that my story might inspire others to take their health seriously, and to realize that Mixed Reality and Virtual Reality could serve as powerful tools for Fitness. Here we go!
Starting Point. I began the NOOM program 5 week ago, and only began introducing exercise this past week. I started out at 236 pounds (which makes me obese…). I also have a history of high blood pressure, averaging 136/95 with medication. My numbers have seen dramatic improvement since beginning the NOOM program. I start this phase of the experiment at 219 pounds, with an average blood pressure within a healthy range!! But there’s more work to do, as my weight goal for weight loss is 50 pounds!
Week 2 starts tomorrow!
Carrier Pigeon XR 