How the sports industry changed during the pandemic

New formats of healthy lifestyles that took off during the pandemic are additional opportunities: for beginners – to take care of their health, for trainees – not to interrupt classes’ usual rhythm.

How sport can save your health

Physical activity improves immunity, stabilizes hormones, and normalizes blood circulation, making it easier to cope with coronavirus infection. A study by the Association of Fitness Operators and Content Research also proved that training helped tolerate the virus 49% of the time. But first of all, you need to know the characteristics of your health, choose a direction and correctly draw up a training plan. For example, you can order an online workout or a training plan just like you can buy essay or an online consultation. If a person decides to do physical activity for the first time during a pandemic, light cardio and soft fitness are best suited for this.

By itself, the sport does not create specific coronavirus immunity, but it indirectly affects the resistance to infection. People who exercise at least twice a week usually do not have any underlying medical conditions that could worsen the infection. For example, playing sports can save a person from complications of coronary heart disease and diabetes. Sport is an excellent prevention of these ailments. Also, cardio, swimming, and yoga act best on the general state of immunity. All of these sports increase the vital capacity of the lungs, which is very important in COVID-19.

Do not forget that training should be regular, lasting from 30 minutes a day. Optimally connect all parts of the body during training. It can be both home workouts and classes in a fitness club. Such loads of moderate-intensity improve gas exchange in body tissues, thereby reducing the risk of lung congestion.

Exercise creates a sufficient supply of oxygen to the body. This leads to the stabilization of metabolism. Thanks to muscle activity, lymphatic drainage improves, which is extremely important for removing toxins from the body. Another positive influence of exercise is that it stabilizes hormones. During regular physical activity, the amount of stress hormones decreases, and inflammatory reactions slow down.

Online and Offline Modes

Quarantine isolation reduced the habitual habitat of a city dweller to an apartment: an office, a gym, and a bar began to coexist within the confines of one room easily. Even though the strong restrictions have been lifted, the world has changed – business en masse transfers employees to remote work. People by inertia avoid unnecessary contacts and more often train online or in the air.

Most classic fitness clubs did not believe in social networks’ power and did not seek to go online until 2020. Everything changed when all fitness centers in the world were ordered to close during self-isolation. A day later, many fitness clubs transferred group training to online format on YouTube and Instagram. The results exceeded all expectations. For example, about 115,000 people go to the clubs of one network (not counting franchises). Now 1 million people a day watch online training during self-isolation.

Many fitness enthusiasts went to the parks to train during the pandemic. During the quarantine period, sports chains and stores began to lease studio equipment: exercise bikes, treadmills, rowing machines, barbells, and even table tennis tables. Many small studios have done the same. For example, cycling company Rocks the Cycle went online after the studios closed and leased cycling equipment and training accessories such as cycling shoes and heart rate sensors to its customers. This helped to partially cover rental costs.

Gadgets and gamification

Smartwatches, fitness trackers, and other interactive gadgets capable of tracking heart rate, distance, and other exercise metrics are the main fitness trend for 2020 and 2021. The global pandemic has forced people to spend more time at home and fitness gadget manufacturers to work. The demand for high-tech sports solutions has exceeded all forecasts.

Group training often uses the Polar system, or MyZone, to see the heart rate and display client metrics. This gives them additional incentive to exercise and provides control over their condition. Besides, clients can sync their gadgets with exercise equipment and thus track the entire workout process.