Fitness industry: Sports and Indian society; A study of the emergence of fitness industry in India

Abstract

The fitness industry has transformed from the days of local "akhadas” to a culmination of international services with fitness related games part of International Olympics and India winning medals too. The idea of fitness industry connects back to ancient history. Early practices such as Yoga, Ayurveda had promoted the both physical and mental health. In the current state, Today, the fitness industry in India is defined by well-being, health, confidence and good looks. It has many faces – Gyms, MMA, Kickboxing, Zumba, Aerial Yoga, Resistance training, Pilates. At present, the Fitness Industry in India is uneven and waiting to be combined into an organized sector. In today’s hectic and busy world, Customers are looking for opportunities to actively work out. Many companies have started providing the bundle of services which have developed – exercise, dietary supplements, consultants all at one location as a package. Given the consumer behavior of getting all the services at one location there by reducing the transaction costs, this market has shown a significant growth. It is no longer called a fitness industry, but the term – Wellness came into the light. Wellness is the fulfilment of needs ranging from exercise, nutrition, health to aesthetic needs as lifestyle, beauty, spiritual and mental happiness. The wellness aspect has become proactive than reactive. In line of proactiveness, Indians are looking for new avenues of wellness beyond traditional drinks and tonics. With increasing number of Indians willing to spend money to feel good, India’s fitness industry has a bright future and hence attracting entrepreneurs to start many innovative products. Once upon a time, fitness industry was dominated by the male, today around 35%-45% of the users are female. Education and internet have changed the views of the women to take up fitness as an important aspect in their lives. Technology innovations are running in parallel, new and safe equipment is introduced giving high priority to safety of the person. Indian youth and adults are doing every possible lead to lead 'healthy life' and the diet is on top of the list. Leveraging this opportunity, companies are coming up with baked not fried, Sugar-free, probiotic, lowcholesterol, products into the market Due to these immense opportunities provided by evolution of companies, customers, suppliers and collaborators, this industry has attracted huge investments in the last few years