CANANDAIGUA, N.Y. — According to a study published last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 30% of Americans actually follow the Department of Health’s recommendation to spend around 20 minutes a day doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and at least two days a week doing muscle strengthening activities.

An eGym program located at gyms throughout the state is taking the chore out of exercise.  

What You Need To Know

  • According to a study published last year by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, less than 30% of Americans actually follow the Department of Health’s recommendation to spend around 20 minutes a day doing moderate-intensity aerobic exercise and at least two days a week doing muscle-strengthening activities
  • Several gyms throughout New York state, including the Sands Family YMCA, have adopted the eGym program to take the chore out of working out
  • The program stores all of your data so that you don't have to keep track of your own process while also letting you move at your own pace

When it comes to working out, people like Rachel Toland, a participant in the Sand’s Family YMCA’s eGym program, know that getting back into a groove isn’t always fun.

“I’ve been working out for like 20 years, I want to say, but I did kind of fall out of it just with career changes and moving and what-have-you and I needed something that was new and exciting to bring me back into it," Toland said. "Because it gets so repetitive and boring after a while, doing the same thing."

Which is exactly why she decided to join the Sand’s Family YMCA’s eGym program.

"With the eGym, I like how it tracks all of my fitness and I get all of the points," she said. "Because I’m not, like, competitive but I like to see the points so I can reflect on what I did."

“Many great things about eGym, it’s fun, its effective, it’s scientifically backed and its personalized which is why its so great,” said Amy Jo Bugenhagen, the health and wellness director for the Sands Family YMCA.

Participants begin with a wellness consolation and then they are given a bracelet that tracks all of their data.

“We set your seat, your range of motion and then we give you a strength test on each of the pieces so that it becomes very specialized to you and wherever you’re at in your fitness journey,” Bugenhagen said.

“All they have to do is sit down and follow the screen,” said Michelle Andrews, a wellness coach at the Sands Family YMCA. 

They are taking the guessing game out of working out, no matter where you are in your exercise journey.

“I’m lifting more weights because it keeps track of how much weight you’re actually lifting…I remember I used to bring a pad of paper and a pen and write it down and now I don’t have to do that because its right on my phone, its right on the app,” said Toland.

“It's a very holistic approach for anybody of any age; whether you’re an athlete, or a non-expert, you’re guided through and you’re always safe and they have fun doing it,” Andrews said.

It's boosting strength and motivation at the same time.

“You get kind of bored and you don’t want to continue because you’re like, 'Alright, let's go do the same thing every day.' But it’s going to continue my journey so that I won’t get bored,” Toland said.