As technology enhances every aspect of day-to-day life, the way people exercise also changes. Developments in the fitness industry allow participants to take a workout far beyond the walls of the gym and enable previously excluded segments of the population to participate. Trackers and smartphone apps make measuring everything from food intake and activity levels to body measurements easier than ever. Take a look at the following fitness industry trends to watch out for in the future.
Corporate Fitness
Image via Flickr by Stiller Beobachter
Companies understand that a healthier workforce is a productive one. As a result, employee benefits packages now often include fitness offerings. Corporate partnerships with gyms are more common, as are on-site fitness facilities. Sometimes, these benefits take the form of discounted gym memberships, but more progressive employers are offering access to personal trainers, swimming pools, and golf courses to encourage employees to get active.
Live Video Broadcasting
In a 2018 report, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that only 22.9% of adults in the United States between the ages of 18 and 64 were getting adequate strength-training and aerobic exercise. Those who don’t exercise often cite some common barriers. The cost of joining a gym, the difficulty of making time for exercise in a busy schedule, and the lack of a facility in a convenient location are a few of the obstacles. One of the hottest new fitness trends, live video broadcasting, eliminates all of those hindrances.
Live video broadcasting in the fitness world takes different forms, but in general, the concept involves the live streaming of fitness activities so that individuals can participate from wherever they are physically located. For example, personal trainers hold one-on-one or group sessions with clients via the web. Instructors of yoga, Pilates, and other forms of group exercise hold live classes for participants to join in from home.
Participants often find that they can purchase the specific classes they want for less than the cost of a monthly gym membership. The online nature allows participants to easily schedule an activity since you don’t have to work with anyone’s schedule but your own, and the location is irrelevant since you can participate anyplace with a reliable internet connection. These benefits make regular exercise available to a segment of the population that wasn’t able to access it before.
Wearable Technology
Devices such as smartwatches, heart monitors, and fitness trackers make up a category of wearable tech that has grown steadily in the market since 2016. Gyms and fitness studios are taking advantage of the trend by integrating these tools into the classes and services offered. For example, in many gyms, you can rent or buy a wearable tracker to keep tabs on your heart rate during an aerobics class. A screen at the front of your class displays your progress — with personal information removed for privacy — so that you know when you’re in the optimal heart rate zone.
In an increasingly integrated world, the fitness industry is embracing trends that allow people to easily get regular exercise as part of a daily routine. Watch for these trends to reach communities large and small, urban and rural, all over the world in the future.