THE IMPACT OF THE PANDEMIC ON THE FITNESS INDUSTRY, FOUR YEARS LATER.
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| A drawn image of different types of warriors back then. |
Going back in time, survival of the fittest was a slogan people adhered to when it came to the basic needs. This meant that the strongest, the most brave, the fastest and the biggest individual had access to most fundamental valuables of the time. Archaeologists dates this back around 10,000 BC.
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| An image of how it was during the early stages of the Neolithic revolution. |
The Neolithic revolution made it easier for new ways of food production emerged. This slightly eased the burden of survival for food was in plenty.
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| The first modern olympic games held on April of 1896 in Athens. |
Olympiad which is the origin of olympic games, dates back to 776 BCE. It was a pack of games dedicated to the god Zeus of Greece. In 1896, the first ever modern Olympics were held in Athens which continued to evolve to what it is today.
The rise of physical fitness emerged in the late 19th and early 20th century, highly contributed by guys like Eugen Sandow.His constant dominance in strong man competitions in London, captured the attention of many wanting a similar physique.
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| A vintage photo of Eugen in the early 20th century. |
This gained momentum in the 70s with the surface of the documentary "Pumping Iron" starred by Arnold Schwarzenegger. This really impacted the fitness industry world wide by guys developing interests in weight lifting. Cardio in form of aerobics dance class, began in 1969 where the first class ever was created and done by Jacki Sorensen in the states.
The lockdown and news of increasing mortality rate resulted in panic. The effect of sedentary type of lifestyle mushroomed and something had to come in for the rescue. Innovation and creativity to a greater extent became the rescue. This till date has greatly impacted the fitness industry.
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact rate at which tech in the fitness industry has grown in 2024. Certainly, the growth is way ahead of the curve. Looking at the tech wearables, their penetration in the market was at 2.29% in 2020. This has grown to 5.14% in 2024, to mean that the increase in demand for them is a by product of growth of the fitness industry.
Fast forward to 2020, when the biggest evolution in fitness was experienced. Time and limitation became the biggest catalyst in this. Everyone was used to the old traditional ways of going about it but this could no longer be done.
The lockdown and news of increasing mortality rate resulted in panic. The effect of sedentary type of lifestyle mushroomed and something had to come in for the rescue. Innovation and creativity to a greater extent became the rescue. This till date has greatly impacted the fitness industry.
What are some of its effects four years later?
a) Rise of awareness.
As a result of the mortality rate during that period, guys started realizing how important physical fitness is. Patients and individuals with chronic diseases were being outweighed by covid and this posted a threat to everyone.
According to data from Google Trends, interest in exercise-related queries reached an all-time high in April 2020. Searches for terms like "home-based exercise," "high-intensity workout," and "online fitness classes" skyrocketed as people turned to home workouts while gyms were closed. Availability of time from the lockdown catapulted this.
The current rise of fitness centres world wide proves this. In 2024, it's expected that the industry will rise at a rate of 8.7% from last year with a project market value of $96.6 billion. The global health and fitness club market is also expected to reach $147.11 billion by the end of the year which will be an increase of 7.7% from 2020.
b) Appreciation of physical fitness.
It's difficult to value something until it's necessary. This can be diversified into different perspectives but health will be our main course. 
Most of us viewed working out just like any other routine of getting fit or a gateway to that dream physique. The prolonged benefits weren't really a concern until the aftermath of the virus became clear.
Most of us viewed working out just like any other routine of getting fit or a gateway to that dream physique. The prolonged benefits weren't really a concern until the aftermath of the virus became clear.
A 2022 meta analysis concluded that individuals who were obese during the time were 1.5 times more likely to experience severe outcome and 1.09 times likely to die when compared to non-obese individuals with COVID-19 disease. This of course was based on the fact that obesity most times is the gateway to other chronic illnesses like diabetes, hypertension, cardio respiratory problems etc which seemed detrimental in the case of an infection.
This became a spark for most fitness enthuthiast to keep on prioritizing physical health. This expounds on why there is a rise of the fitness industry in value during these modern times.
c) Emerge of other aspects of fitness.
The perception about fitness for the longest time has been more of physical input and output. The mental aspect and diversification blew up during the pandemic. This was highly promoted on the social media platforms as a way of relieving the inbuilt tension from the pandemic and mostly from the lockdown.According to the World Health Organization (WHO), there was a 25% increase in the prevalence of anxiety and depression during the first year of the pandemic. This saw the rise of meditation and different form of yoga as a form of mental exercise and relief. 
Normal exercises were also used as a way of relieving anxiety and stress. This trend has continued till date where it's not all about the muscles but a great way of killing two birds with one stone.
d) Rise of technology in fitness matters.
Based on the lockdown, a lot of tech innovations came up. Speaking of online coaching, virtual classes, tech-wearables, home gym equipments with built-in screens and rise in fitness apps. This became one of the greatest ways of socializing and still getting a workout in. The innovations brought a different aspect of convenience and proved that distance shouldn't be a limiting factor.
It's difficult to pinpoint the exact rate at which tech in the fitness industry has grown in 2024. Certainly, the growth is way ahead of the curve. Looking at the tech wearables, their penetration in the market was at 2.29% in 2020. This has grown to 5.14% in 2024, to mean that the increase in demand for them is a by product of growth of the fitness industry.
e) Embrace of Home fitness.
As a result of the lockdown, most fitness enthuthiast had to develop some sort of routine to keep their interests going. One of the best ways of going about it was by investing in home-gym equipments like cardiovascular machines, a set of dumbbells and barbells, some plates, yoga mats etc. This brought the aspect of convenience, flexibility and affordability.
The trend seems to be on even in 2024. Availability of fitness app and tech wearables makes it easy to track different forms of workouts. The apps also give different ideas on how to go about them.
The impact seems to be growing as the seasons go by. This is becoming a wake up call to everyone in the industry to either adjust with the changes or be left out. Experts are predicting a takeover of the industry by artificial intelligence before 2030. The question at hand is, what are you doing as a stakeholder to stay ahead of the curve?
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