IKR. Ugh exercise

I saw what could be called a snarky link over on Reddit the other day – Scientists find, if exercise is intrinsically rewarding – it’s enjoyable or reduces stress – people will respond automatically to their cue and not have to convince themselves to work out. Instead of feeling like a chore, they’ll want to exercise.  I suggest skipping the comments and heading on over to the fine article, because the research in question is not as self-evident as it might appear (and it is backed by actual data).

The core of the research, courtesy of Iowa State University, is that the key to maintaining a workout habit is using intrinsic rewards.  Intrinsic rewards are those which satisfy internal satisfaction or pleasure versus external motivation.  For exercise, intrinsic motivation often boils down to actually enjoying workouts (which, let’s face it, is not all that common in the gamer community).  Contrast this with the usual external motivation for working out such as wanting to lose a few pounds or instructions from a doctor.  Sure, the external motivation might get us to try working out, but experience and evidence from the studies in the link above show the external motivation is unlikely to support a long term exercise habit.

This is the secret of the Holoseat.  Using Holoseat ties exercise to an activity that already has high intrinsic reward (enough to consume hours a day and a steady stream of cash from our wallets) – gaming!  This is how I was able to lose 45 pounds in 18 months of playing MMOs.  More importantly, this is why we are turning Holoseat into a product, so you can use gaming to turn exercise into a long lasting habit of your own!

Stay tuned for more news as we go through developing Holoseat. Better yet, sign up for our newsletter — you’ll get updates straight to your inbox.