New Delhi: The year 2010 marked a watershed in changing the way people looked at healthy living and staying fit. For an industry limping back on its feet from the downturn, retaining member loyalty depended on dove-tailing fitness based on the specific needs.
While some struggled to shed that extra pound, others sought innovative ways to juggle work and family life and squeeze in that hour a day dedicated to workout.
In the United States, gyms paid off the memberships of the worst-hit of their clientele who lost their jobs in the recession. In India, slimming centres burgeoned to cater to a growing number of people willing to pay any amount to get six-pack abs made famous by film stars.
While some worked two jobs, stay-at-home mothers needed strength straining to keep pace with a punishing schedule and boisterous children.
The fitness industry responded with tailored ‘10 minutes workouts’ for those on the run and extensive strength training for young mothers. Personal trainers were no longer accessible to only the richest, they came calling at the door as local gyms competed to keep pace with growth.
Here are some new age global fitness trends that defined 2010:
Stripper’s Pole
Leave your corset at home. There is no nudity involved and no whistles are forthcoming from the audience. The stripper’s pole, popularized by TV shows like "Desperate Housewives", shed its seedy image and combined athleticism with sex appeal. Pole dancing came up in a big way as a new form of exercise, with focus on cardio and upper body strength. The origin of the pole dance can be traced back to a traditional Indian form of agility training known as Mallakhamb.
Flamenco Dancing
Flamenco came up as a great cardio vascular workout with its strong resemblance to speed skating. The constant knee-flex position helped tone up the legs, butts and thighs. Flamenco music and dance is thought to have originated in 15th century Andalusia. The shoes have nails hammered into their heels and toes. Flamenco dancers express emotions during the workout, even that of anger that experts say helps cleanse the body and mind.
Motion Gaming
Pioneered by Nintendo's Wii game system, motion gamers look to improve their motor-sensor functions with the games available in the market. Once frowned upon by parents as a potential source of distraction, experts today agree on the usefulness of motion gaming for staying fit. Sony's Move and the Microsoft's Kinect systems are widely available and transcend age and gender as keen gamers take them up for fitness training and recreation.
Marathon Runners
Fitness is no longer just about the treadmill or elliptical, the regular gymgoer now trains for at least a half marathon before the big race. Fitness professionals have started to tap into the growing number of long-distance runners outside the sporting community. An online calculator can help runners estimate their aerobic fitness pace and race goals so they know how many excess carb calories they need to take in before a race.
Fitness Buddy
Sweating it out alone was never much fun and experts now say that training with a friend helps a person to stick to a fitness routine better. From keeping counts during push-ups to helping one to tide over burnouts, sharing goals with buddies at gyms strengthens bonds, as well as resolve. A survey of 1,000 adult exercisers conducted by Life Fitness in US found that 27 per cent of women prefer to work out with a friend.
Pilates Out
Once a fitness staple, pilates dropped off the fitness radar in 2010, according to a survey forecasting trends for 2011. Stability balls and balance training also plummeted off the online poll, which asked over 2,000 fitness and health experts from Asia, Europe, Australia, Africa, North and South America to identify top trends. Trainers say pilates are perceived as more expensive than bootcamp. Pilates tend to take longer to give results and to do it well takes a lot of strength.
Independent Health Clubs
Health clubs figured out early on in the year that to stay in business during a tough year they needed to downsize without losing customers. Individual trainers proved to be expensive for customers who have lost their jobs to recession and personal coaching to small groups worked better. Many clubs waived off membership fees or paid off long-term customers’ dues themselves. For members it worked out to be a no-risk, heavy reward situation. According to surveys done in the US, independent clubs fared better than multi-chain giants in customer retention.
Home Gyms
It is belt-tightening time and people looking to accomplish as much as possible while economizing on money and time invested in smaller, portable gym equipment that can be set up at home. Trainers are more than willing to respond to needs of the market and take up two or four clients at time or slash their hourly rates for sessions at home. Home fitness equipment sales hit $ 5.3 billion in 2009, according to the National Sporting Goods Association in the US. Perceived as a one-time expense for more than one person in the household, home exercise equipment need not be the hefty treadmill. Trainers advise frugal ways to cardio fitness such as jump-roping or stepping on a step deck.
The 10-minute workout
Have only 10 minutes before you have to pick up the children from school? A 10 minute break before the next meeting? A hectic work schedule has forced people to look for compact and smaller fitness regimes that can be practiced literally on the go. Fitness experts have designed swift, short workouts instead of the customary hour on the treadmill. The workouts are more intense and the DVDs easily accessible as consumers equate personal health with time and money.
New Markets
The nearly $ 70-billion-dollar global health club industry seized the opportunities of globalization in 2010. Over 128,000 health clubs served 119 million members around the world last year. Giant chains extended their global reach and expanded to far-flung markets, according to the IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sportsclub Association) 2010 Global Report on the state of the health club industry. Women’s gyms such as “The Curves” which is already in 76 countries said it expected to enter Russia, China and India by the fall of 2010. “Anytime Fitness”, a coed chain with 1300 gyms worldwide, came to a franchise agreement with Japan, which had been among the most insular of markets.
Big Yoga
Ever been turned away from a yoga class because of your obesity? That is exactly what Big Yoga aims to do - take in the plus sizes so they do not feel out of the loop amongst the “normal” people. Meera Patricia Kerr, a yoga instructor and author of "Big Yoga, a Simple Guide for Bigger Bodies" became popular among overweight people struggling to communicate with their trainers to help them adapt. Kerr said while it is not required to be thin to practice yoga, the regular poses do need to be modified for the overweight and more curvaceous.
Back to Nature
Experts suggest hiking – from a leisurely nature walk to strenuous mountain climbing – as the better alternative for weight loss than air-conditioned multi-gyms. Fitness professionals say out-of-doors workout regimes such as hiking and rock climbing are fast catching on as more and more people take their exercise seriously. Traversing hills, especially while carrying a backpack, burns calories, strengthens muscles and can prove addictive enough to uproot even the most stubborn couch potato, according to Dr. Patty Freedson of the American College of Sports Medicine said. Backpackers take with them limited food portions and fluids, helping them lose fat and gain muscles.
Cruise Liners Fitness
Once considered the symbol of luxury living with their long buffet, cruise liners soon broadened their horizons to include the health-minded consumer fighting to stay fit away from his treadmill on a holiday. From a battery of fitness experts overseeing the fitness junkie to a healthy spread of food, cruise liners have started to keep up with the 21st century. There are jogging tracks and state-of-the-art fitness centers on most big ships, apart from wellness education classes and metabolic testing. Cruisers are encouraged to play Wii Fit skiing and hula hooping games.
Celebrity Gyms
If Madonna likes to gym, so do I. Celebrities, like never before, opened their own chain of gyms, hoping to attract the star-struck. Film stars in India opened up spas for the high-end customers. Pop icon Madonna launched her new brand of "Hard Candy Fitness" gyms in Mexico City where Mexico's rich and the beautiful can go through dance classes and fitness routines inspired by the singer's routines.
Golf Yoga
As people take to recreational golf, the sport has become a great way to stay fit. Popularized by Filipino golfer Angelo Que, who once said a breathing technique helped him keep his mind on the game, golfers have now married the sport to yoga to get maximum effect.
Cardio Tennis
It looks like a normal day on the grass court. But a group fitness class based on tennis moves is hugely popular among beginners and aces alike wanting to shed weight while improving their strokes. Cardio tennis is played on a tennis court and is led by a pro. But unlike a traditional tennis lesson, the emphasis is on movement rather than technique
Interval Training
Experts say interval training, alternating bursts of intensity activity with less intense periods, can burn more calories, boost stamina, and stave off that burning pain that stops any workout dead in its tracks.
Toning Shoes
Exercise shoes with the distinctive thick, rounded soles designed flew off the shelves as fitness junkies turned to them to help shape their bottom muscles and correct their gait. The toning shoes use curved soles and extra padding to alter the wearer's walking gait, purportedly engaging seldom-used muscles, increasing blood flow and reducing stress to the lower back.
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