011 LIVE From CES 2017: Fitbit Group Health & Peloton Virtual Cycling

We're excited to bring you some of the most cutting edge information in fitness technology right from the 2017 CES show floor that directly relates to your fitness business. First up on today's show is Amy McDonough from Fitbit.

Amy McDonough is the VP of Group Health at Fitbit. She works with employers, health plans and others in the corporate wellness space who are passionate about creating a culture of health within an organization or community. Amy oversees new and creative ways to bring consumer wearable technology into the corporate sphere with a goal of supporting as many individual's as possible in their journey towards optimal health.

Since 2008 Amy has been an integral part of Fitbit's growth alongside the founders, and her deep insights about using these devices will give both operators and trainers a valuable perspective on how this will impact the fitness business in the new year.

Fitbit met with us LIVE at CES to discuss the new landscape of corporate and large group health programs, the data around wearables, and their ecosystems that drive social connection and much more.

Listen To Episode 010 As Amy Uncovers

• Exploring the benefits of wearables: increased productivity, decreased absenteeism, lower A1c levels and supporting medication free lifestyles for diabetics
• How Fitbit is impacting both the fitness and wellness industries in 2017
• The growth of Fitbit: how Group Health is designed to meet the rising wellness needs of companies everywhere
• How Target, SAP, Bank of America are incorporating Fitbit Group Health in their wellness solutions
• How to approach the mindset of those resistant to using technology for behavior change as part of a team strategy
• How wearable technology is positively impacting select Fortune 500 companies
• Fitbit's new interactive features including a new community section of the website and specifically a feed where inspirational moments can be shared to increase physical activity among members
• Why Fitbit is combining large amounts of collected data create new, intuitive products, and more personalized devices to support the health consumers of today and the future
• What opportunities exist for large fitness clubs with Fitbit Group Health

Top 3 Takeaways From The Show

• Amy believes there is no "one size fits all" wearable device or even approach to supporting a fitness enthusiast or club member's journey towards using increased accountability through technology. Looking deeper, it is the intrinsic and/or extrinsic motivation that is unique to all that really moves the needle.
• The data is proving that increased accountability through wearable devices for select companies is yielding a 24% - 46% decrease in anticipated health care costs after a 3 year look back period.
• The combination of integrating workplace group health initiatives using social, self motivation, and financial rewards programs tied to wearable technology is proving to be successful for both employees and insurance companies.

Power Quotes From Amy

"What keeps me motivated every day is that Fitbit is in a very unique position to really look at consumers as individuals and help them on a personalized and guided journey to their health." - Amy McDonough on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

"While health can be serious business, we feel it doesn't have to be. We believe you're more likely to reach your goals if you're encouraged to have fun, smile, and feel empowered along the way." - Amy McDonough the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Amy

• Fitbit Group Health
• Amy McDonough on LinkedIn
• Fitbit announced a partnership with UnitedHealthcare MotionTM wellness program, powered by Qualcomm Life using the Charge 2, This is Fitbit's first-ever custom feature for a Fitbit device, enabling Motion program members to earn up to $1,500 in annual rewards for achieving daily activity goals.
• Fitbit Now Integrates with Innovative Brands Habit, Peloton and VirZOOM
• Fitbit Launches Redesigned Fitstar Personal Trainer App to Help You Work Out Smarter with Recommended Workouts Based on Fitbit Activity
• FITSTAR - Fitbit's personal trainer mobile application platform
• Wellness Force Radio - Gretchen Rubin

Next: Tom Cortese From Peloton

We're excited to be bringing you some of the most cutting edge information in fitness technology right from the CES show floor, that directly relates to your fitness business. Place your dial above at 22:33 to hear the feature with Tom.

Tom Cortese is the COO and co-founder of Peloton - Tom has built a career managing effective, hard-working teams. and has deep roots in product development and user interface design and recently co-founded and sold the award winning PROUST.

Listen To Episode 011 As Tom Uncovers

• How Tom went from triathlon and working for Revolution Health group to co-found Peloton
• Why Peloton decided to enter the fitness space and their future plans
• The mindset of larger fitness organizations towards Peloton in the early years
• How Peloton built an incredible community with unique personalities in your virtual and digital instructors
• Fast Company's feature of Peloton's commercial-grade bike launch that will brings the cycling experience to hotels, office buildings, universities, and recently started manufacturing bikes for gyms across the country in 2017.
• What group exercise trainers and health clubs can expect in the next 12 months from Peloton for the blending of meaningful data and advanced fitness technology
• Major difference between Peloton and Soul Cycle, Zwift, WEXER virtual, and the others in our space

Power Quote From Tom

"We didn't set out to reshape a piece of fitness equipment. We set out to bring you a totally different experience. To bring that engaging, fun, exciting group fitness workout to the comfort and convenience of your home." - Tom Cortese on the Fitness + Technology Podcast

Resources Mentioned From Tom

• Peloton Cycling
• Peloton on Facebook
• "Changing The View" John Foley at CES
• Peloton CEO John Foley at CES 2017
• Tony Wang on the Recode podcast in 2016 discussing the swell of energy behind the indoor cycling world
• INC Magazine - The "Netflix of fitness"
• Men's Health - The Best Cardio Machine On The Planet"

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