The evolution of home fitness – BBC News

The internet and age of Covid-19

Which brings us to today. Spandex-clad actors in VHS tapes have been replaced with fitness influencers on social media platforms like Instagram, many of whom endorse the same kind of lose weight fast dietary supplements or exercise gadgets that the fitness industry always has.

Except now, we largely call it the wellness industry. Working out isnt just about staying in shape; the lines between fitness and the self-help movement have become blurred. We need exercise not just as a beauty regimen now, and not just as a heart and health situation, now we need to do it for our mental health. This is now a burden in all of our realms, says Hejtmanek.

And offerings have become even more complex, with cult-like group exercise phenomena like SoulCycle, mindfulness classes that mix yoga, aromatherapy and soundscapes, and luxury gyms like Equinox offering additional services like childcare and workspaces.

But that was pre-Covid. Now, with gyms closed and outings comprehensively curtailed, were all innovating; fitness instructors have been quick to move online, yoga classes have taken to Zoom, and sales of exercise equipment and downloads of fitness apps are all on the rise. Between January and March in the US, for example, sales of fitness equipment shot up 55% as lockdowns began to be activated. Some gyms are even introducing foster programmes for their equipment during the pandemic lending out machines to members for a fee.

Stark, the University of Leeds professor, thinks its too early to tell whether coronavirus could lead to a new home workout boom. He thinks the new online classes tap into something that didnt exist in home fitness before, but believes that the lure of the gym may prove stronger in the long term.

Gyms fulfil quite a different social role. They are places where exercises done by individuals can be communal and competitive, he says. When the lockdown is phased out and then ends, it is much more likely that people will flock back to gyms and sports fields to recapture the vital social, human contact which is also integral to exercise for so many.

Here is the original post:

The evolution of home fitness - BBC News