Review
The following independent review of PrimeMover was published in the magazine 'Online Currents'. You can find their website at www.onlinecurrents.com.au The images may take a few seconds to download, they have been reproduced as they appeared in the hard copy of the magazine.

Computers are great tools. Many of us can sit for hours gazing intently at a screen; writing, designing, playing or researching. However, while your mind may be surfing the wild Web, your body remains still, unconsciously confined to a sitting position. Joints stiffen, muscles strain and inevitably, pain develops.

PrimeMover aims to reduce the injuries sustained as a result of constant sitting in front of a computer screen. You pre-set the program with regular exercise prompts, select the type of exercise that meets your needs and determine the length of time that you want to spend on your exercise break. PrimeMover can be used both as a tool for preventing injuries and as a rehabilitation aid in treating existing injuries.

PrimeMover is produced by Southside Industries Pty Ltd in Black Rock, Victoria. It is officially endorsed by the Commonwealth Government

Installation and Set-up Wizard
Installation was quick and easy. The set-up wizard opens and asks you to specify the areas of your body in which you are experiencing discomfort.

Figure 1: PrimeMover Wizard - Neck screen

Similarly, you specify the condition of your shoulders, back, forearm, wrist and legs and rate the number of headaches you experience whilst working. You also have the option to include eye exercises and a special routine to improve your vision. Finally, you select when you want to exercise. You can:
= Do the exercises while you work - every 30 minutes or so you will be prompted to do a group of exercises.
= Set up a group of exercises to do at a preset time - for example, at morning tea or lunch time.
= Set up groups of exercises that you can do when you want to - you will never be interrupted while you work.
= Decide not to use PrimeMover at all! - "I can NEVER be interrupted and hate exercising". (The PrimeMover developer seems to have a great sense of humour!)

Developing the Exercises
PrimeMover’s 72 exercises were selected after consultation with a group of physiotherapists. David Berenholtz, PrimeMover’s developer, initially videotaped men and women performing each exercise. He then saved each digital tape as a series of digital photographs. Each photograph was then converted into a "cartoon-like" image, which eliminated all unnecessary or distracting information and focused only on the essential movements of the exercise. When played together, these black and white images comprise the animations that are displayed by PrimeMover.

Figure 2 shows a sample of an exercise pop-up screen. The original photograph from which the animation is derived is also shown. In my opinion, this is an unnecessary repetition but this may be a matter of personal preference. You can click on the More button to see written steps outlining how to perform the exercise. The Cancel button allows you to exit the screen.

Figure 2: Standing Back Arches

The range and quality of the exercises is extremely impressive. It is obvious from the selection and presentation of each exercise that this product is the result of painstaking research!

Setting Times, Speed and Sound
After you have completed the setup, PrimeMover will begin to work using the default settings. You can change these defaults using the Configure screen. The time interval between exercise breaks, the speed of the exercises and the time at which you want to exercise, can all be customised. PrimeMover has two modes of functioning:
= Pop-up mode - exercises appear at pre-set intervals (e.g. every 30 minutes)
= Player mode - exercises appear at pre-set times (e.g. 10.00 am, 12.30 pm, 3.00 pm, etc)

When in Pop-up mode you can set a warning sound to play just before the exercise appears on the screen. This gives you a couple of minutes to finish what you are doing and save your work, etc. Of course, if you wish you can insert your own sound file but I had great fun experimenting with the sounds that come with the product.

Designing Exercise Groups
PrimeMover includes pre-set groups of exercises aimed at users with specific exercise needs. You specify your requirements during the set-up of the program. However, you can change your exercises at any time. Exercises have been grouped to focus on different areas of the body - back and neck, arms and wrists, etc. Several "mixed" groups include a selection of all of the exercise types. You can select a different group of exercises to run each day of the week.

You can also edit an existing group and create your own personalised group of exercises. This is simply a matter of previewing all the exercises, and replacing the existing exercises with your own preferences. You can opt to use the same exercises every day, or create your own groups for each working day.

Design Text
You can design your own text to appear in the pop-up window at a pre-set time or interval. Your doctor or physiotherapist may have given you specific exercise instructions that you wish to be reminded of. Designing a test box was very quick and to prove this I created the following pop-up for Online Currents readers.

Figure 3: Your Own Messages

My Experience in Using PrimeMover
I set PrimeMover so that exercises are displayed in the Pop-up mode every 30 minutes and last for one minute. Even though these breaks only account for minutes in my day, I can really feel the difference at the end of the day.

The exercises are simple to do and I can do them without embarrassment in my open-plan workplace environment. In fact, it seems to "lighten-up" my day (particularly if I use a fun sound). Of course, there are times, such as when I was demonstrating a project to a client, when it does not seem appropriate to do a "calf stretch". When this happens, I simply Cancel out.

Conclusion
There are several other exercise reminder programs on the market. Among these are Ergominder and RemindMe. However, these products differ from PrimeMover in that they display still photographs of exercises, in contrast with the exercise animations that you view in PrimeMover. PrimeMover’s animations add a great deal to the product, making it possible to perform the exercises, simply by watching the screen, without having previously read and absorbed the instructions. I also found that PrimeMover has a wider range of exercises and was the only program that offered eye exercises.

It is gratifying to note that this Australian product is now being promoted and sold in the U.S.A. It is also being used in many large corporations and government departments in Australia. Many managers are now recognising the benefits of investing in their workers’ health and safety. When staff are fit and healthy there is greater productivity and fewer sick days.

                        Copyright © 2008 Southside Industries (Aust) Pty Ltd. All rights reserved.