Fitbit now gives you credit for VR bike rides
It also works with the nutrition app Habit and lets you do on-demand Peloton biking classes.
Fitbit will soon log your biking miles even when you're on a virtual road stuck in your living room. The company has partnered with VirZoom, a company that turns dull old stationary cycling into a tank, sports car or Pegasus ride via VR. We thought that gamifying fitness was a nice idea when we tried it back in 2015, but Fitbit makes it possible to incorporate it into your regular routine. The device will not only capture and log your workout duration, distance pedaled and calories, but sync it to your Fitbit account and give you credit toward your goals.
If you have a supported Fitbit device, it will also track your heart rate, keeping everything in one place "so you can view a more complete picture of your overall health," Fitbit says. As a reminder, the VirZoom is a connected exercise bike that comes with a controller, arcade games and online services for $400. It doesn't include, of course, the required Oculus Rift, HTC Vive or Sony Playstation VR headsets.
Fitbit has also joined up with Habit, an app that can give you personalized nutrition suggestions. If, for instance, you want to lose 10 pounds but the Fitbit sees you aren't doing enough Pegasus VR biking, it will adjust your calorie recommendations and types of carbs, proteins and fats you should eat.
The other tie-in is with Peloton, which lets you join instructor-guided cycling studio classes from home via a custom $2,000 bike (above) and on-demand streaming service. As with VirZoom, Fitbit will track your miles, duration, calories and heart rate and log it with your other fitness info.
The tie-ins are part of "Works With Fitbit," the company's open API program for third-party apps. If you own one of the devices, you should be able to update the apps and connect them to your Fitbit now.
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