If the coronavirus pandemic is messing with your New Year's fitness resolutions, consider trying virtual reality to get in shape.

Virtual reality applications aimed at fitness enthusiasts range from boxing to all manner of exercises in virtual environments. But while the visuals may be virtual, the sweat is real, and there’s even a little science behind the idea. A recent paper in the British Journal of Health Psychology found that exercisers feel better when they’re immersed in music and computer-simulated environments.

“It was striking how the combination of virtual reality and music increased enjoyment of exercise, compared to music alone or control groups,” said Costas Karageorghis, one of the paper's co-authors and a professor at Brunel University London, in a press release.

“Our findings show that the combination of virtual reality and music has great potential to make people more physically active in their own homes.”