Launching a new global health and fitness platform is no easy task, especially during a global lockdown. But David Morin, one of today’s top fitness models, is always up for a challenge. He joins Andre Stone and Adriana Escalante as part of our ongoing coverage of CES 2021.
Morin says his new app, called Ultrahuman, is “a convenient way for you to be able to capitalize on the time that you’ve allocated towards attaining [your] fitness goals at home,” he says. It’s fully comprehensive, fully holistic, and has programs from yoga to weightlifting. “It has everything you need to achieve what you set out to do.”
Exercise is typically an organic and biological experience, which tends to be the opposite of machines and technology. But tech obviously has its place in making people healthier and helping them become better athletes. Not only can tech provide biometric data, it helps with optimized tracking and goal setting. It’s really about the whole picture, Morin says. It’s about being “the best self that you can be.” Humans are hard-wired to adapt to those challenges, he says, “and I think Ultrahuman does a great job of putting that power right in your hand, so you have no excuses” and you can achieve your personal fitness goal every day.
“There’s things that we’ve had to adjust every single day,” Morin says of this past year. “The reality is, you are the front line to expressing what you have right now, and being grateful for what you have right now. Those challenges are really just opportunities, when you take something into your own hands and say, ‘Hey look — I’ve got the ability, I can tackle any challenge that comes my way.’”
Fitness and social media are a natural pairing, says Morin, adding that “it’s a daily reminder of ‘let’s say on track!’” About 40% of people who make fitness promises to themselves fail within the first 60 days. “That’s why I’m so passionate about projecting my efforts everyday,” he said, so that others can realize how valuable they are, and how they can be a manufacturer of happiness. “The way you see, the way you react to things, and the way you empower others really does determine you own emotional well-being,” he says, adding that if you have a group on social media, you can look to it every single day for encouragement, and those people can be like your heartbeat.
Fitness isn’t just something that makes Morin feel good. Four years ago, he had a pulmonary embolism and was in a coma for five days, due to a (thankfully) benign tumor inside the wall of his heart’s atrium, so it’s incredibly important for him to track his heart rate. And the use of technology is what allows him to keep tabs on what’s happening in his body. “Before working out, I use the technology, I use the app, [and] there’s a breathing sequence that I go through that I use through the Ultrahuman app,” he said. “And then when I cool down, I use the app [and] one of the meditation sections to draw the energy I’ve exhausted back in, and revitalize and recover.”
Technology is revolutionizing the way we connect with our bodies, Morin notes. Cryotherapy, infrared saunas, and electro stimulation are just a few of the concepts being driven by tech. “The future right now is just so wide open,” he says. “I’m trying to marry the best of what’s been proven to be physiologically sound through studies in a holistic sense, but also challenge myself to integrate technologies that will work in tandem with those tried-and-true ancient wisdoms. It’s a brand-new world, and I’m excited!”
