If you’re like me, you absolutely mean to work out about a hundred times more often than you actually get around to working out. Part of the reason may be that you don’t have access to the right facilities, or that you don’t have the time in your day, or that legitimate higher priorities come up. However, as often as not it seems that the real issue is getting oneself motivated to get started on that oh-so-exciting treadmill. To make this process funner, and thus make motivation easier to come by, Google Maps is working with iFit and Nordic Track to make workouts funner.
We saw some initial previews of this technology back at CES this year and even prior to that, but it seems that the “take your treadmill jog anywhere in the world” concept is finally coming to fruition. Here’s how it works:
- You get an iFit-enabled treadmill, such as the current Elite product line from Nordic Track.
- Register for the iFit website.
- Download an existing workout or choose a location where you want to have your jog (such as, say, the streets of Long Beach, California).
- A Google Map will come up. Select the route you want to take.
- Get going on your normal walk or jog. You will have your incline adjusted to match the terrain and will be able to see Google Street View images as you proceed.
This is made possible because of advanced Google APIs, and more specifically in this case the Google Maps API Premier. You can see a brief demo of iFit technology in this video.
[via the Google LatLong Blog]
