By Dalia Colón -
Not long ago, I came across a website that combines two of my favorite things: staying healthy and staying home.
No, it wasn’t an ad for the Jack Lalanne Power Juicer. It was Physiic.com.
Here's a screen grab of my online yoga session with Annette Burke, left.
Founded in January 2010, Physiic (pronounced “physique”) offers live online fitness classes, combining the motivation of an in-person workout with the convenience of an exercise DVD.
“Physiic was created because we realized that adding the live, social aspect to our exercise routine, really made working out at home more enjoyable,” co-founder Lindsey Morrow told me in an email.
Internet connection? Check.
Optional webcam? Check.
I was game.
As a new enrollee, I even got 10 free class credits. That was enough to sign up for a 30-minute yoga session, which costs five credits or $5.
On the morning of the class, I started out with my usual rushing-to-get-to-yoga-on-time panic. Only instead of fighting for a parking space at the gym, I struggled to set up an ad-hoc yoga studio in a corner of my bedroom: laptop teetering on the stereo, and yoga mat rolled out alongside the bed, just far enough from the nightstand to avoid kicking over a lamp in downward dog.
I logged on, and up popped my instructor: Annette Burke was coming to me live from her home in Boston.
Kinda cool.
And kinda awkward. While up to 15 students can participate in a Physiic fitness session, I was the only one enrolled. Being the lone student in an online exercise class is just as awkward as being the lone student in a face-to-face exercise class.
I also wished I’d worn something nicer, like a real fitted workout top. I try to look decent when visitors come into my home, be they in-person or virtual guests. Instead, there I was in the baggy T-shirt I’d gotten for free at a bar mitzvah.
I tried not to be paranoid as Burke led me through a series of yoga poses. Occasionally, she’d pause to watch me and give pointers on my form. Nerve-wracking? A little. But this was what I’d signed up for. I could never get this kind of personalized instruction watching DVRed episodes of Inhale.
“Listen to your breath,” Burke told me.
But all I could hear was my Jack Russell terrier whimpering on the other side of my bedroom door, begging to be let in. My only hope for relaxing was to eliminate distractions. I got up and ordered the dog downstairs. Then back at my laptop, I closed all the superfluous windows. Email notifications during a yoga class? No, thank you.
Eventually, I did manage to calm down.
“You totally forget” about the computer, Burke said cheerily. “That’s the beauty of it. It’s like you’re actually in a class.”
I wouldn’t go that far. Each time I got ready to “totally forget” about the computer, the screen would go dark and I’d have to wiggle the mouse. And whenever I wanted to speak to Burke, I had to hold down a button.
Still, virtual fitness had possibilities. I could take a class my local gym doesn’t offer, like Yobarre,or one I wouldn’t dare try in public, like Pole Pressure. (It is what you think.) Or I could coordinate with friends across the country to take a class “together.”
This Physiic thing could work out.
This reporter can be reached at daliacolon@wusf.org.
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Comments
Thanks Dalia for taking the time to explore interActive yoga classes on Physiic. I would like to mention that we didn’t create Physiic to replace “offline” group exercise classes. There is no substitute for real human contact, but we think people will enjoy live, online exercise because classes are cheaper, more accessible, and offer a better variety than some people can find locally.
Also, I should mention that all Physiic participants have the option to turn off their webcam if they don’t feel comfortable being watched by the instructor. Students still get a fun, fresh class every time, as compared to watching a pre-recoded video.
Be sure to invite your friends next time for a lively group session. We hope to see you in class again!
Justin Tuttle
Member, Physiic LLC
Justin, thanks for your note. I had a good experience overall. This is a good option for people looking for, as you said, cheaper, more accessible fitness classes. I first heard of Physiic while reading a New York Times article about how new mothers get less exercise than women without kids. (Duh!) One woman left a note in the comments section saying Physiic allows her to exercise while still keeping an eye on her infant.
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