WNiF Magazine - Spring 2013 Edition | Page 26

9 ON CLOUD By Toni Krasicki I n order to stay on trend in an ever-changing and technologicallyup their laces to keep up with consumer demand. Companies providing state-of-the-art cardiovascular exercise equipment for homes and gyms have always had to contend with competition, but these days also need to cater to the consumer demand for online access, even during training! As such, exercise equipment has come a long way in the last few decades. Once, it was judged on its effectiveness based purely on the workout it provided. Nowadays, equipment is designed to be part personal trainer, part entertainer and part personal computer. If the machine can’t monitor, record and analyse someone’s workout details and have them accessible from just about anywhere then it may not even make it onto With the introduction of ‘Cloud Services’, the playing WHAT’S NEW IN FITNESS - SPRING 2013 experience itself. Life Fitness Sales and Marketing Coordinator Catherine Tomlin says that ‘A study conducted in 2012 over seven countries showed that 57 per cent of exercisers use a smartphone and/or tablet during their workout, and that nearly three quarters of those aged 50 or under believe they would work out more if they had access to their personal content whilst exercising.’ Ramping up software operations and shifting the core companies have had to team up software development with their electrical engineers. What’s New in Fitness have done some digging around and have come up with the latest cloud equipment. Here’s what we’ve found. 27