Clients at Shapes women's fitness center in FoxLake now are finding it a little more difficult to chit-chat while using hydraulic exercise machines.
That's because owner Laura Maggioncalda said she had invested thousands of dollars in a new, innovative technology called Mytrak, which was installed at her facility in December.
The system consists of a central kiosk and several small computers that have been added to the center's 11 hydraulic weight machines.
Here's how it works:
Each client undergoes a fitness evaluation, including age, weight, body measurements, and resting heart rate, which are entered into the Mytrak system along with their fitness goals.
Then they receive a Mytrak ID tag, which activates the kiosk and individual exercise machine computers.
Before using a machine, tags are waved over its computer to start it. The goal is for clients to work out in their target zones, which the computer screen displays as a green light.
"Go for the green" has become a new catch phrase, Maggioncalda said.
Clients can wear a belt that monitors their heart rate and repetitive movements.
Mytrak also automatically increases a machine's level of difficulty by 2 percent to continually challenge users and prevent stagnant routines.
When a workout is complete, clients can go to the central kiosk for a complete analysis of their performance to discover where they performed well and where they need improvement.
Maggioncalda said Shapes was the second facility in the country to invest in the technology, which she learned about in October while attending a hydraulic equipment workshop in Texas.
She said one of the main benefits was that clients now could physically see what their results were.
"The biggest feedback we've been getting is ladies who were using hydraulic equipment did not realize that they were not working to their full capacity," Maggioncalda said.
"There was way more chatting and socializing.
"Now they realize that they have to push harder to get results out of their workouts."
Clients continue to exercise at their own levels, are weighed and measured monthly, and are definitely motivated by Mytrak, she said.
"Everyone is accountable for their own workout now, but we can still motivate them to keep going," she said.
* * *
Shapes, 3 S. Route 12, Fox Lake, offers a variety of fitness programs and classes geared for women.
It boasts 100 members.
Maggioncalda opened the center in May and employs four in addition to instructors.
For details call (847) 587-4273.
To learn more about Mytrak, visit www.mytrakhealth.com.
* Stacey Lohman is business editor of the Northwest Herald and editor of the McHenry County Business Journal. She can be reached by e-mail at slohman@nwherald.com.