Instead of just lounging on the couch, Netflix offers a personal trainer to motivate you to move while binge watching your favorite shows. So if you stop moving, Netflix also automatically pauses your show until you get back to feeling like exercising again. The popular video-streaming service has launched the new feature to promote healthy lifestyle and lower health risks to all its subscribers.
It even has a detailed instruction guide on how to make your own Netflix-themed personal trainer. According to the company, the feature connects to your phone or tablet and uses an accelerometer to monitor your activity level during an exercise sessions. Slowing down during a workout will trigger an alert from your selected Netflix character which "will deliver motivational words to keep you going."
The Netflix Personal Trainer has some of the features you might find in its flesh-and-blood counterpart. To motivate you to keep on moving, the digital trainer will pause your show if you stop even just for a second. Thankfully for those worried that their significant other might "gift" this to them, the feature is not easily ordered online, the Refinery 29 reports.
Some assembly of the Arduino-based device is required for the digital workout buddy to work. A list of all the components needed can be found on Netflix's website. The move is part of Netflix's Make It initiative and was born out of the company's annual Hack Day in which every year it gives birth to some random projects, the Mashable reports.
To use the Netflix personal trainer, just clip an activity tracker to your waistband or to an armband that pairs with your phone. When you start working out, the Netflix character of your choice will coach you through the session. Netflix advertises the new feature in a YouTube post by saying "If committing to exercise was as easy as committing to Netflix, you'd probably have Daredevil's abs by now."
