According to the CDC, Low levels of physical activity are associated with an estimated $117 billion annually in health care costs and are the leading cause of a slew of physical ailments including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, some kinds of cancer, and obesity.
When the pandemic hit, levels of physical activity were severely impacted, in fact, according to one study, 69% of participants who were once classified as very active before the pandemic (83% male and 46% female) then dropped to 39% (50% male and 31% female) after COVID-19 entered the picture.
One way to combat these lowered motivation levels, and the physical isolation we probably all felt to a degree from the pandemic, is group exercise. It was shown that group workouts, not only boosts people’s physical performance but also their mental health.
Krew, the first mass-scale live-streaming fitness platform app, recently announced the release of its “watch party” feature. The new addition to this platform works to minimize the negative effects of isolation many individuals felt in the past two years.
Let’s take a look at Krew’s new feature that is aimed at supporting a more regular and social workout routine online.
Exacerbated Feelings of Isolation
When looking to make healthy lifestyle choices such as implementing physical activity into one’s routine, doing so as part of a community has many benefits. The first and most obvious one is the social aspect, but being surrounded by others doing the same physical motions also helps to give an example of what the proper form is to help avoid injury.
“Krew eliminates the need for expensive equipment so that we can we put the benefits of group workouts at people’s fingertips, right in their very own living rooms,” said CEO and co-founder of app Krew, José Martín Quesada.
“When everyone has the chance to tap into their own fitness community, we can remove existing gatekeepers,” continued Quesada, who himself suffered a near-fatal car collision and believes that he couldn’t have recovered without the support of his fitness community.
Beyond bringing people together, working out in a group can help individuals find motivation and inspiration through fitness and also help them to climb out of any feelings of isolation—which is an extremely slippery slope. Boosting people’s personal fitness levels, the new group-setting feature on Krew can help users to push through that next achievement benchmark by having their companions cheer them on.
A Community of Fitness
The “Watch party” feature on Krew’s app allows users to create avatars of themselves, giving users the creative freedom to represent themselves as they choose. This is ideal for people who aren’t yet ready to share their bodies with the world but want to participate in the class. What is more, users can also take note of achievements as they happen in class (e.g. on-time execution, great form) and share those milestones with their fitness community.
To access the platform, a person only needs a camera on their smartphone, computer, or tablet, and an internet connection. Classes are offered both live by an instructor or are recorded with instructions—allowing users to choose their preferred method of participation.
“The team at Krew has their finger on the pulse of the fitness world,” says Luisa Rubio, Head of Wayra X, who led the $1.8M in a pre-seed round of funding for the app. “We’re excited to support their sophisticated technology, helping people build healthy routines in the new normal, without compromising the community element of working out.”
Referred to as “Peloton without the $3K bike” and “Twitch for fitness”, Krew is shifting a paradigm on how people exercise in the digital realm. Its “watch party” highlights a users’ best moments from the class, offers feedback about their technique and accuracy, and provides information about their cardio levels.
The simplicity of connecting to Krew and its range of content means that people can work out at their convenience, whatever their hardware, and whatever their fitness capabilities. As we climb our way out of the lonesome days of the pandemic, exercising in the company of others might be just the needed daily dose of medicine needed in a people’s routines.
Disclosure: This article mentions a client of an Espacio portfolio company.
