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FITNESS
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THE FUTURE OF FITNESS
By Charlotte Forde
As we start to see lockdown regulations and restrictions begin
to ease and gyms and leisure centres prepare to re-open, what
changes can we expect to see and will the coronavirus pandemic
change the fitness industry forever?
There is no denying that when the lockdown was announced on
23rd March the majority of the UK went into a fitness frenzy, with
some households purchasing multiple pieces of exercise equipment
and many others suddenly prioritising outdoor activity, taking on
exercise such as cycling and walking - it was great to see so many
people participate in challenges that they may never have even
considered and start to introduce physical activity into their new
daily routines. Home cooking was also at an all time high with
restaurants temporarily closing and with so much spare time and
accessible content online it seemed that there was no excuse not
to be embracing this new nationwide movement towards a fitter
and healthier lifestyle. However, as the lockdown progressed from
weeks into months and we saw a dramatic change in the weather,
the motivation seemed to match as outdoor activity declined and
takeaways began to re-open, life started to get back to some kind of
normality and we were left with two types of people, both of which
had changed shape physically and mentally but in different ways. So
this begs the question, what will the future of fitness look like? Will
it thrive or just survive?
I am sure that it is no surprise that the cleanliness of gym’s is
extremely hard to maintain at the best of times, especially when
you have a gym capacity of hundreds and the responsibility falls
on a gym team who also have the duty to deliver the services that
are offered. Even with the cooperation of consumers wiping down
equipment surfaces after use, this will not be the most effective or
reliable method when fitness facilities begin to re-open. With a loss
of income during lockdown from frozen memberships and possible
cancellations as dormant members realise they are still paying for a
luxury that they no longer use, the reality that many people may have
become more apprehensive to congregate with other members of the
general public and also the possibility of the need for gyms to reduce
capacity, will leisure clubs be able to afford to operate under the
new guidelines or will they see more success and an increase in the
interest of joining their facility as people have become more active?
If we refer to the latter and there is a rise in people wanting to join
leisure clubs and gyms, then what will be the USP that consumers are
looking for and will this have changed since the start of lockdown?
In my opinion, people will be considering the cleanliness, size of the
facilities and how the facility is operated now as well as the accessibility
to gain entry into the gym and group exercise classes. Some of these
points may have been overlooked in the past but it is almost certain
that these will now become priority over just the convenience of the
location. Gym’s will have to start using outdoor space and additional
area’s to accommodate their current members or the demand from
new clients but as this may take away from the whole gym experience
will people start looking into personal training, small group exercise
classes and outdoor bootcamps as an alternative or even start playing
a sport instead of training conventionally?
There is also the issue now for big gyms that some people may have
realised that they don’t require their services to stay on track with
their fitness goal so they may continue to self motivate and continue
to use free online content that they have been presented with. This is
where we may see the decline and separation within the industry, as
larger gyms may continue to provide this content in addition to their
face-to-face classes which may see an increased retention for clubs
but may also underrate the merit of businesses who may have already
been running these sessions pre Covid-19.
Unfortunately, in order to remain competitive and market their
brand, many fitness professionals and providers may have done
themselves a disservice by delivering their content for free during
the lockdown period, as when it comes to their business returning
back to normal and they reinstate a charge for the same service,
people will understandably question what the value of their service
actually is. However, on the flip side when this has been executed
effectively many of these businesses may have gained new clients
that they would have never had access to and who have enjoyed the
free online content so much that they cannot wait to join up and get
started when they are able to do so.
Either way, whatever lies ahead for the fitness industry, we have
certainly seen some changes and I personally see us thriving from
this experience. The importance of physical and mental health has
never received such a platform to be highlighted on, so hopefully
in the future we will all take better care of ourselves and others and
make any necessary changes to lead a healthy and happy life.
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