As little as twenty years ago, the world looked entirely different to the way that it looks now. People used to have to read from an annually printed book of maps to get their directions –now they use the GPS on their phones. Individuals used to have to write letters by pen and paper (or fly across vast expanses and deep oceans) to communicate long distance – now they just log into various apps on their phone to spark a conversation. Technology has literally changed the world, and there is no sense in denying the inexplicable transformation that has taken place for not only the world, but everyone and everything that we know. As technology has continued to evolve with the world around it, it has grown and expanded at an astronomical pace, propelling the planet into a digitized era that will only continue to grow as time goes on. Like so many industries, health and fitness is undergoing a slow but sure digitized revamp. While wearable digital health and fitness devices are all the rage, there is still an underlying concern that not everybody that uses them is fully aware of their functionality. As technology has expanded, so has the feeling of community and support among the health and fitness community – apps and programs allow for a sense of comradeship and support through group programs, updates, and support groups. Technology has not only shaken the traditional foundations of every industry, but has effectively obliterated them to make room for more well-structured, survivable models.
The health and fitness industry is built around the concepts of collaboration and connection with other individuals using the same apps, programs, and products to assist in their fitness journey. Users of these digital devices can keep track of – and even compare – their results to not only their past results, but the results of others. Health and fitness gadgets do a variety of things for the user, from tracking the pulse and step count, to calculating calories burned, distance gone, and the metabolic rate. From the small devices – like the Fitbit watches – to the seemingly more ground breaking products – like drones that follow runners or smart clothing that generates a virtual copy of one’s workout – the health and fitness industry is changing at an unbelievable pace, leaving both seasoned fitness junkies and newbies to the burn wanting more, craving the feeling of connection.
The one aspect of the health and fitness industry that has not yet changed (and is never likely to) is the nutrition aspect. From supplements to fill in the gaps in nutrition and protein intake, to healtheries products that give the consumer a world of benefits, the things that individuals eat and drink are unlikely to be affected by technology – after all, we cannot eat an app. While there are many fantastic health and fitness devices on the market, their popularity is not being extended to the literal consumption of nutrition and protein. For now, it looks as though we will still be eating and drinking the same things for the foreseeable future…and anyway, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. What we consume is fine, but it is the way that we engage in physical activity and how we track it that can be fundamentally changed and updated.
As time goes on, more and more people are placing higher value on health and fitness, effectively driving more individuals to hold their physical and mental fitness to higher regard than their material possessions. In a time where so many individuals so eagerly keep records of their lives on their social media accounts and applications, the new thing to display if one’s physical self – literally. There is an entire empire built on health and fitness through social media, and that empire is only growing more and more in the realisation that a body sculpted by the gym gets more likes than what someone ate for lunch (in most cases). It is not the only reason to take care of one’s health and fitness, but in an era that is so reliant on technology and virtual relevance through social media, it absolutely is one of the biggest reasons for individuals to take care of their bodies. Additionally, Health and fitness gadgets track an individual’s physical fitness and workouts by cataloguing data and using that data to give a virtual history. There is literally a world of tech that is catered to assisting an individual with their health and fitness journey and results.
The health and fitness industry is by no means immune to the technological shift that has caused the world to gravitate towards a more digitized state of being. From the way that we scan into the gym, to the nutrition and fitness apps that we use to track our physical fitness, it seems that every scope of the health and fitness industry has been, at the very least, tested. Often, these tests have resulted in a definite shift from the run-down, the out of state, to the brand new, modernised versions of concepts past. Health and fitness is one of the most important things in life, as one’s life literally depends on the longevity and quality of the health and fitness of their body. Technology has changed the health and fitness industry for the better, and the benefits are already coming to fruition tenfold – it can only go up from here.