Imagine you had a personal trainer
in your pocket, popping up several times a day with tips and inviting you to
impromptu exercise classes all around the world.
Periscope, the Twitter-owned livestreaming app, offers just that, as
fitness professionals adopt the live video format to run dance classes,
toning workouts and even yoga on the beach.
Periscope was originally used by
stars to show a glimpse of their lives behind the scenes, politicians wanting
to talk directly to their audience and everyday people filming footage from
news events.
The livestreaming app notifies users
when someone they follow on Twitter or Periscope begins a live broadcast,
prompting them to log on, watch, comment and “like”.
Fitness instructors post on other
sites and social media to say when they will be hosting the classes. Some are
free and act as marketing for their main business or classes “in real life”,
and some are private, when the trainer charges to receive the broadcast. The
videos can be viewed 24 hours after the class.
Participants can ask questions in
real time and the tone is casual and encouraging.
Users can sample classes from the
other side of the world or keep up with a class at home when they are
travelling.
