Smart fitness facilities make exercise more fun, healthier

Smart fitness facilities in parks and gyms across China are making exercise more fun and science-based and helping people enjoy exercise in a healthier way.

The smart running track in a park in Honggutan district in Nanchang. (Photo/Xu Yuting)

Honggutan district in Nanchang, capital of east China’s Jiangxi province, recently opened its first smart running track in a park to the public, attracting many exercise enthusiasts. Mr. Wang, a native of Nanchang, is one of them, and said that he felt very comfortable running on the track.

The 800-meter long track can record runners’ speed, steps, running distance, and calories burned. The track is also equipped with supporting smart facilities, such as smart screens, facial recognition equipment, and smart lockers, delivering a smarter and more convenient experience for runners.

The equipment of the smart running track in a park in Honggutan district in Nanchang. (Photo/Xu Yuting)

Smart facilities installed in many parks in Shenyang, capital of northeast China’s Liaoning province, not only display real-time exercise data but also offer users instructional videos.

Similarly, smart facilities installed in gyms and sports centers in Hangzhou, east China’s Zhejiang province, allow sports lovers to make reservations on WeChat mini-programs, enter sports venues using facial recognition, and save users from having to queue up for sports equipment.

Experts noted that as a novelty, smart facilities will boost enthusiasm among a wider range of people for sports and help them do exercises in a more scientific way.

Some enterprises have offered smart solutions for the construction of sports parks. According to Wuhan Haokang Fitness Equipment Co., Ltd. in Wuhan, central China’s Hubei province, smart fitness equipment in a sports park can collect users’ exercise data, detect inappropriate habits while doing sports, and offer instructions accordingly, so as to help them exercise correctly and avoid injuries. The company’s smart solution won the silver award for smart outdoor sports equipment at the 2021 China International Sporting Goods Expo, held in Shanghai from May 19 to 22.

The smart fitness industry enjoys bright prospects, according to a report on people’s exercise and consumption in 2021 conducted by China Sporting Goods Federation. The report shows that there is high demand for smart sports facilities, and consumers are willing to pay for them. Meanwhile, 89 percent of the respondents believed smart fitness facilities are necessary, while nearly one third of those surveyed have spent money on the relevant facilities.

According to a document issued by China's General Administration of Sport in March, the country will build a number of smart sports centers and sports parks with smart outdoor fitness equipment.