Blue Goji Unveils Consumer Health & Fitness Index

SANTA CLARA, CA--(Marketwired - Mar 5, 2014) - The makers of Goji Play (www.bluegoji.com), which turns cardio fitness machines into a more enjoyable, engaging, and rewarding workout experience, have announced the results of its first Consumer Health & Fitness Index. With two-thirds of Americans overweight and one-third clinically obese, the country is in the midst of a healthcare crisis that is impacting the majority of its population. The makers of Goji Play are on a mission to help people get fit by making exercise more fun, and plan to start with the 46 percent of households that report no one in their family is fit.

Profile of Today's Unfit Family
Forty-six percent of respondents reported that every member of their household is unfit. The following data from the survey provides critical insight for consumers, health practitioners and health industry professionals on what's preventing Americans from getting healthy. Based on responses from the 46 percent of households that are unfit:

• 50 percent resolved to lose weight in 2014, but 37 percent broke their resolutions before the end of January

• 48 percent say that they would be motivated to lose 10 pounds only after a health scare

• While 39 percent say that they have at least one cardio machine at home, only 15 percent of respondents use it more than once a week

• 36 percent say that they either don't have fun or get bored while exercising

• Nearly half would regularly use cardio machines if they could have fun, or earn prizes and rewards, while using them

Use It, Or Don't Lose It
Owning exercise equipment is not enough to improve fitness. In fact, unfit families own more exercise equipment (39 percent) than fit families (33 percent). The biggest difference between fit and unfit families comes down to making exercise a priority. While 36 percent of unfit households report that not having enough time is their biggest obstacle to regular exercise, 52 percent of fit households made the same claim; translation -- not having enough time to exercise is really just an excuse when it comes to improving fitness. Other eye-opening comparisons between fit and unfit households include:

• Confidence Counts - When it comes to keeping resolutions for more than six months, 61 percent of those from fit families are confident they can stick with it, more than double the 27 percent of those from unfit families.

• Boredom Beats the Burn? - Both fit (30 percent) and unfit (36 percent) families struggle with not having fun or getting bored while exercising.

"My biggest resolution for this year was to get the whole family fit -- enough was enough," said Kim McIlvain, a wife, and mother of two teens living in Floresville, Texas. "Goji Play was just what we needed to get motivated to exercise. Our family started using Goji Play with our treadmill and exercise bike in January and, as a result, are exercising 3-4 days more a week, have more energy, and I've even been able to stop taking my blood pressure medication."

Can We Reverse the Curse of the Cardio Equipment Graveyard and Banish Exercise Boredom?

People buy cardio equipment with the best of intentions for their health and fitness, but of those surveyed that own cardio equipment, 57 percent haven't used them in more than six months, and 67 percent say the equipment collects dust on a regular basis. Overall, 34 percent of those who own cardio machines still can't bring themselves to exercise regularly because they find it boring or they aren't having fun. And, it's no wonder when 41 percent say they need to be rewarded or entertained while working out in order to start up the treadmill.

"Two-thirds of exercise equipment is collecting dust, with exercise boredom the main obstacle," said Kai Huang, Blue Goji co-founder and CEO. "With Goji Play, we're tackling exercise boredom by making workouts fun and engaging."

In addition to releasing the results of its Consumer Health & Fitness Index, Blue Goji is offering three tips to consumers designed to help them revitalize their workouts and have more fun on their health and fitness journeys.

1. Make your workout into a game. Don't settle for boring! Goji Play makes your workout fun and engaging with a variety of games that interact with your movement as you exercise. And unlike conventional, track-everything wearables that simply gather and display data, Goji Play motivates you with fun and interactivity, so you actually look forward to your next workout.

2. Track your progress for continued success. For anyone who wants to make serious improvements in their fitness, tracking workouts and progress can help you stay on the path to meeting your goals. A variety of apps, including the Goji Play app, takes out the guesswork and helps show you how close you are to reaching your goals with real-time fitness metrics.

3. Make it social. Make exercise a family affair, or a way to catch up with friends. Fitness can be much more fun, motivational and frequent when you have someone by your side encouraging you, or strike up some healthy competition while striving for the best score, mile-pace, or most steps taken.

Blue Goji Consumer Health and Fitness Index:
The Blue Goji Consumer Health & Fitness Index provides a view of consumer attitudes toward health and fitness in 2014 by examining resolutions for the New Year, exercise habits, and family fitness levels. 2,677 respondents from across the United States took Goji Play's survey online between February 12 and February 18, 2014. The margin of error is +/- 1.76 percentage points.

About Blue Goji
Blue Goji is an interactive fitness company that brings motivation and fun to workout sessions. The company was founded by game industry veterans and fitness enthusiasts Kai and Charles Huang, RedOctane co-founders and inventors of the multi-billion dollar video game franchise Guitar Hero, and Coleman Fung, founder of OpenLink. Blue Goji is developing innovative products that combine software and hardware to transform cardio exercise equipment into an entertaining and rewarding experience for all fitness levels. For more information please visit www.BlueGoji.com.