I did a blog and video on the JACFIT JRun Sensor a few weeks ago. After JACFIT reached out and I researched further about their company and product, I was excited to partner with them. I am as passionate as they are about making exercise fun and these sensors are some of the best equipment for your home gym to stay motivated during exercise and make it fun while interactively working out with others.
After doing a test run of JACFIT’s JRun sensor (sans treadmill), they for a partnership for their JBike sensor. Not many people know, but when I was young I broke my ankle during a biking accident. The only opportunity I have to bike now is through indoor cycling and I love it. Of course, I was excited to add the JBike sensor to my home gym and interactively bike with others. Let’s check it out!
Best Equipment for Your Home Gym to Stay Motivated during Exercise and Make it Fun
About JACFIT
If you haven’t read the first blog I did on JACFIT, no worries. I will give you some background on who JACFIT is. In short, JACFIT is a sports brand incorporating video games to make exercise more interactive and therefore, more fun.
I have never been much of a runner myself. I get bored. I would do 5ks and such because I could run with somebody else. Which is why I like JACFIT. Whether I am running or biking, when I see the other little dots on the track I strive to get ahead of them. It motivates me, pushes me.
Another really cool thing is the tournaments JACFIT holds. There are announcements and winners. You can even level up and get new outfits and pets!
Partnership with JACFIT
My partnership with JACFIT is completely transparent, I am not paid by them to give a stellar review. In fact, I can point out a flaw. The only thing I received was the sensors to test the experience and offer my feedback.
I am hit with requests for partnerships all the time, but I am very selective in which brands I partner with. Whether I am paid or receive product, the brand and their mission needs to align with my own values.
So what is the flaw I saw with JACFIT? Keep reading, it’s down below in the pros and cons section of this article.
Setting Up the JBike Bike Sensor
Setting up the JBike Sensor was super easy. All you have to do is pop off the black rubber bottom, pull out the tab, push in the battery, and reinsert the tab.
If you are still having trouble, JACFIT created a video to help!
Using the JBike Bike Sensor from JACFIT
Once you have your JBike sensor activated, you can simply attach it to your indoor bike using the provided slab or straps. In other words, there are different ways the JBike sensor can attach, depending upon what kind of indoor bike you have.
If you have a spin bike, this is probably the easiest. Magnets (provided) attach to the flywheel and the JBike sensor is mounted to the stationary bike. Each time the magnets pass through, they register with the sensor.
If you have an upright or recumbent bike, the sensor is attached to the arm using ties (provided) and the magnets are attached to the outside mechanism close to the sensor.
Finally, if you have a mounted bike with a stand, the sensor is attached to the chain stay with the ties (provided) and the magnet is attached to the wheel spoke.
A Look at the JACFIT App
As soon as you pop into the app, it will show you any sort of upcoming tournaments. The day of tournaments, you would also receive a notification about an hour prior to the start of the tournament.
After that screen, you will choose which activity you want either run or bike. Be sure you are using the appropriate sensor.
For this demonstration, I chose Bike above.
Next, it will ask you your Bicycle type and it will find your sensor. When it pops up in the list, you simply select it and hit ‘Connect’.
The next screen allows you to choose your outfit and personalize your character, choose a solo route, tournament, or a party.
I chose a Roaming (or solo) route. From there you can see the different maps, or worlds. These have different lengths and levels of difficulty. They are also being updated with new worlds regularly.
Once you have chosen a world, you will see your character in the world and you can begin.
Here, you will see other players, your stats including the miles, time, your sensor’s battery life, and much more.
Pros and Cons of the JACFIT JBike and JRun for your Home Gym
JACFIT certainly has multiple pros in that the sensors themselves are not very expensive. They are small, easy to setup and incorporate into any home gym, and the app is fairly simple to use.
I really enjoy the opportunity to join tournaments or start parties with friends. You can also use voice chat to connect with your party.
One thing I noticed as I was hitting my goals, to me a flaw, not so much a con, was when I hit the 2 mile mark. A congratulatory message came up that read:
“Congrats on losing weight!”
Now, the reason I find this to be a flaw is because – how do you know I am doing this for weight loss? I, personally, am not. And that could send a negative message. What if a person is simply using this to train? My point is, how come exercise has to automatically be associated with weight loss?
How JACFIT Keeps You Motivated During Your Workouts
The biggest way that JACFIT Sports Devices keeps you motivated during your workouts is through integrating the app and video game-like workouts.
In addition to the video game realm, real-time tournaments and the ability to workout with friends through creating parties and chatting with them through voice chat makes it feel as though they are right there with you, motivating you!
The Importance of Exercise and Having a Support System
By now we should know that exercise hold multiple benefits, including decreasing the risk of heart disease and stroke.
The importance of exercise and having a support system also increases emotional health through emotional support. This is something that has become increasingly important in the past year with quarantine due to Covid.
JACFIT builds a support system through incorporating interactive virtual exercise, introducing new activities, and incorporating healthy competition.
Does Running and Biking Really Help You Lose Weight?
In short, absolutely. The aerobic exercises improves your cardiovascular system, you burn calories, tone muscle, lose weight, and build strength.
One isn’t necessarily better than the other, however, biking or cycling could potentially be easier on your joints as it isn’t as jarring as running can be.
The Effects of Running on the Body
Running has been proven to improve physical and mental health. As a form of anaerobic exercise, the effects running has on the body includes reducing stress, improving heart health, and decreasing depression.
In addition to these benefits, running can also be used as a form of meditation. According to the Sports Fitness Advisor, running “improves focus” which will allow quiet and control over your mind.
While running can be jarring, depending on the surface in which you choose to run on, the truth is, running can actually improve knee health. Running is proven to eventually lead to stronger bones. With any new exercise, don’t overdo it, work up to it. Start with walking and shorts intervals of running and increase your running time gradually.
The Effects of Biking on the Body
The effects of biking (or cycling) on the body can include joint mobility, decreased stress, stronger bones, improved posture, and many more.
Biking is a great, low impact form of exercise that utilizes all of the body’s major muscle groups, including core muscles!
“Research suggests you should be burning at least 8,400 kilojoules (about 2,000 calories) a week through exercise. Steady cycling burns about 1,200 kilojoules (about 300 calories) per hour.
If you cycle twice a day, the kilojoules burnt soon add up. British research shows that a half-hour bike ride every day will burn nearly five kilograms of fat over a year.”
What do you think? Would you buy the JACFIT sensors?
