The future of fitness

How today’s healthy habits will shape tomorrow’s gyms.

- LISA ABDELLAH

The way we work out has changed. We’re hesitant to commit to long-term contracts because we don’t have the same disposable income or the time to get to physical spaces as we used to.

“What if you’re about to go to the gym, but your boss asks you to attend a Zoom meeting? You might decide to do your workout online afterward,” says Nikki Cockcroft, global chief marketing and technology officer at Virgin Active.

“Micro-consumption of exercise is trending, whereby instead of exercising for one hour at a time, people are training in bursts of 10 to 30 minutes.”

That’s not to say gyms will become obsolete. We need a change of scenery to our home offices, where there’s music, ambiance and decent showers. More importantly, we go to the gym because it gives us a sense of belonging.

“We’re no longer exercising because it’s good for our health, but to connect with other people, ourselves and nature,” explains South African professional futurist Jonathan Cherry, who owns the business consultancy CherryFlava. “It’s something we want to do.”

So, we’ve become omnichannel consumers seeking a personalized experience. How do current and future fitness trends speak to that?

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