One of the greatest things about this job is discovering all the new things that are out there for fitness and exercise. Whether it’s a new tape, a new workout style or even just a new gym that they are building, it’s part of my job to research them. What that means is when new ideas come traveling down the pike, I check them out, I write about them and then I hope you get a chance to review them and let me know what you think. The following is one of those ideas. I don’t have Comcast digital cable, but I wish I did, because I want to check this out:
Television, long-lauded as the bane of fitness because it encouraged kids and adults alike to sit still and watch rather than get out and run, may be out of the doghouse. Comcast launched ExerciseTV. This new channel is available as video on demand (at no extra charge) in order to view the fitness network headed up by Jake Steinfeld.
Steinfeld and ExerciseTV’s plan is to offer viewers of the Comcast and Time Warner Cable digital television up to 100 exercise programs with everything from belly dancing to yoga to cardiovascular fitness.
This channel is the first offered exclusively as video-on-demand and Comcast is pouring a lot of work into the effort. What makes ExerciseTV so great is that it gives the viewing audience more options. You won’t have to invest in numerous video DVDs or tapes without being certain of what they can do. You don’t have to hunt around town for the right workout program and even better; you don’t even have to leave your living room. The majority of fitness programs offered by ExerciseTV are targeted at their television viewing audience.
Steinfeld is probably best known for his “Body by Jake” workout videos. He’s done fitness television before, but this venture is targeting exercises and workouts, not the lifestyle. The network itself is targeting a wider audience from the casual viewer to the hard-core fitness buff looking for a new challenge.
The great thing about video-on-demand that ExerciseTV offers is that if you want a good, heart pounding cardiovascular workout at 3 in the morning, you’ll be able to get it. Television and technology are combining to provide viewers with workouts. Comcast and Time Warner Digital Cable viewers should give it a look.