What the Fitness Industry is Missing – An Opinion from a Personal Trainer and Online Fitness Coach
The health and fitness industry has been with us forever. You can see it as the pursuit of impeccable body beauty from models or pushing the human limits from athletes.
What do those extreme perfections have to do with your life? What the fitness industry is missing is a much bigger problem. It does not ask the question, “What can you, as an average person, get from it?”
This article is more personal than the other articles you read from this blog. It is an opinion of mine, a personal trainer and online fitness coach, on the state of what the fitness industry is missing and how you can use this knowledge to improve your life.
As you continue to read, you will find that what the fitness industry is missing now is much bigger than simple personal responsibilities. It is also based on my experience and why I chose to become a personal trainer/fitness coach.
Summary
A Hidden Problem to Fitness
Let me tell you a bit about my background. If you read the About page, you would know what I am talking about.
To sum it up short, I went from living a naturally active life in Vietnam to not being at all in America. All because of the car culture in America, it is much harder to be active throughout the day. You have to make a real effort out of your way to be healthy.
Look at this graph below, it is about a study[1] on the per capita private passenger transport energy use and urban density in global cities.
When you look at the y-axis, per capita private passenger transport energy use, the higher the number, the more energy consumed privately a city has (mostly means more cars), the lower the number, more alternative choices of transportation are available.
The x-axis demonstrates the population density, meaning how many people, on average, live in 1 hectare (or ~100 acres in freedom units).
Keep in mind that the numbers were published in 2014. They are not too out of date but applicable to this application by comparing my experiences in both countries.
Let us start with Ho Chi Minh city. It is all the way to the right of the graph, with a huge amount of population density. Interestingly, the city is also among those who consume a lesser amount of private passenger energy.
One inference we can make from this is that Ho Chi Minh city has a lot of people living in smaller areas. At the same, the people in the city have a lot of options to move around and get to where they need to be.
This correlated with my experience. I started being on my own from age 11. I could go anywhere on my own, school, church, extracurriculars. Because I could get everywhere, I opted to walk and naturally incorporated “being active” every day.
Now, on the total opposite of the graph, you can see Atlanta, USA, which is where I live right now. The situation could not be any different.
The city is huge but it is not as dense. As you can see, per capita energy consumption is also the highest. Mind-blowing stuff. You literally cannot go anywhere without driving a car on the big roads and highways the city has.
How are you supposed to stay active when the place you live does not support it? That is what the fitness industry is missing.
What the Fitness Industry is Missing
From my personal experience, my active time sharply decreased after I moved from one city to another.
I did not design each city but each’s layout affects my life tremendously. It is beyond my abilities to decide. One of the biggest problems in the fitness industry is to blame a person for not keeping up with their responsibilities.
Of course, there are things a person can do to keep up with good health. But when their built environment does not support it, like Atlanta, being active becomes exponentially difficult.
An example of health fitness issues is access to a safe place to exercise. At-home exercises can be great and inexpensive. On the other hand, it is limited and you cannot interact with other people, a key to enjoying exercise.
Going to a gym can be more challenging. You have to pay a monthly fee, drive out of your way to exercise, and deal with other people in a confined place.
In short, if you live in typical suburbia in North America, you will certainly find it hard to be active.
Blaming on Individual Responsibilities
How do you exercise more often? The most common answers on Google are actions that you can take.
Walk the dog. Try the 10-minute Workout. Take the stairs. Ditch the cars (?!?!)
These are just some examples of tips the fitness industry will give you. It is all you on to make a difference, which is very American by the way.
I mean, how can you ditch the cars? Like I said earlier, you cannot get anywhere without a car living where you live. It is not your fault that where you live makes it a requirement. Why would you take public transportation for 2 hours when you can drive in 15 minutes?
It is the biggest weakness of the fitness industry. You only have two options, keep up with everything by yourself, or pay money to receive help and support.
For a lot of us, you would not realize this truth much sooner. High school Phung certainly did not. She had to pay the price of ignorance, but you do not have to if you are reading this article.
What is the fitness industry that demands you to pile more responsibilities on yourself when life does not allow it? The future of the fitness industry depends on this change.
Related post: Must-Have At-Home Exercise Equipment
Start Looking at the Problems with a Different Mindset
Of course, blaming only outside factors for what is happening to your life is not the best situation. You can take action to mitigate the problems.
Start with a different mindset when it comes to health and wellness spending. It is normal to need and get help.
That help can be free, such as having friends, family, and loved ones who know and are willing to help. You can also get help online (but do be careful with this, there is misinformation overflowing here.)
You might find free help limiting and have lingering questions. A personal trainer/fitness coach like myself can make elevate your potential. What you pay for is a trained individual who understands what they talk about, not just “do this because it worked for me.”
It is not about what the fitness industry is missing. It is about what you are missing in your mind. Do not confuse with blaming your personal responsibilities for inaction.
There is a delicate balance to both. For example, I, myself, live in Atlanta, which does not promote being active every day. I choose to be active in my own way and create a system that works for me.
I found a way to exercise both at home (for fun) and at a group exercise class (or health club). Check out my Instagram (@beactiveiseasy) for everyday exercise sessions.
What Can You Do To Be Active?
Let us get into the meaty part of this article. If you happened to live in an area like mine, there are still ways you can do to mitigate the problems.
Remember, you have to be completely honest with yourself to see the results of your work. It does not mean you can get immediate results (sometimes you might) but it mostly will affect you in the long run.
As a personal trainer/fitness coach, I would recommend you to sit down and reflect on your present, past, and future. But how? Here are some factors you might want to consider:
- Do you like the exercise you’re planning to do? Add them to your routine
- What did you NOT like in the past? → Avoid these.
- What is your schedule? → Figure out how much time you can realistically set aside for exercise.
- Which equipment do you have access to? At-home workout? Going to the gym? Group workout? → Many choices to consider for your plan.
- What is your current level? Are you a beginner? Are you more advanced and want more challenges? → Be easy on yourself but also do not hold it back.
Instead of staying stuck on what the fitness industry is missing, you can move forward in a way that feels good for you, and not have to copy other people by taking the quiz below.
In our current time, we also have to deal with the COVID impact on fitness industry. During the past two years, the fitness industry trends 2021 is at-home workout (such as Peloton or Tonal). But as the world starts to open up, you might want to consider more options, such as going back to the gym, visiting your in-person personal trainer, or attending group exercise classes.
Regardless of what you plan to do, I am here to support your goals. There is no one way of being active and healthy. You do you! If you are in the Atlanta area, hit me up as your personal trainer. If you live somewhere else and still want coaching on how to get started on all of this stuff, I can help you as a fitness coach with my Signature Program. Check it out below.
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