Re-Inventing Yourself: Corporate Fitness

A big reason as to how a pandemic becomes a pandemic is lack of preparation and foresight. Granted, preparing for something as catastrophic as COVID-19 would have taken a colossal, collaborative effort of dozens upon dozens of countries for years leading up to 2020. At some point, a handful would have backed out (and did), wondering if this “pending pandemic” was really a possibility. Like the Mayan predictions of the world ending, governments aren’t spending time and money constructing elaborate bunkers until it does.

Well, so much for that. We’ve lived through an awful year, and while things are looking up, for the fitness industry among others, major challenges remain. By October 1, 2020, an estimated 480,000 fitness related jobs had been lost. Contrast that with 2019, when the US fitness industry was valued at a whopping $85 billion. Brick-and-mortar studios were the norm, and “group trainings” were rated the number three trend by “The American College of Sports Medicine.” Social-distancing has put that to rest, but folks have not stopped working out. As we all know, many have simply shifted to breaking a sweat in their living rooms or patios, and online trainers and tutorial videos have understandably exploded.

On the corporate side, businesses are beginning to catch their footing once again. During the summer and fall, folks were homebound, unsure about the future, and literally living day-to-day. We now understand that even with a vaccine, this will be a long road back to “normal,” whatever that may be. But with that said, there are a handful of areas trainers and fitness professionals can smartly integrate themselves into this new reality.

Meal Planning

Pre-COVID, many companies invested a considerable amount of resources in maintaining healthy food options at work. The literature was trending positive in terms of healthy eating habits being equated to happier employees (and more productive employees). Employers are concerned, as are most health professionals, about the long-term effects of folks working where they wake and go back to bed. As such, this is an area that is actively being addressed.

Offering individual consultations, personalized meal plans, check-ups, and using apps to monitor caloric intake, etc., is an easy way to carve out a niche for yourself in any company. Much of this will take place over video, so having the technology in place to track client behavior is critical.

Health Education/Coaching

Similar to meal planning, overall health education/coaching, where you can blend in exercise, is another area of interest for many firms. YouTube videos have been great, and they’re widely used. But their effectiveness depends 100% on the user. There is no follow-up from the trainer and as has occurred with other training fads (although video workouts will likely continue), unless there is a trainer present to monitor and politely push, long-term, positive results are unlikely.

Most HR departments understand this and will grab onto fitness programs with “monitoring and follow-up.” Mental health interventions have been increasing, and while necessary, many times, the lack of exercise and healthy eating can exacerbate mental health-related issues. Addressing one will naturally minimize the other.

Virtual Health Fairs

Health fairs are a fantastic way to bring teams together through fun, online educational sessions. Examples are classic fitness classes like cardio boxing, yoga, bodyweight boot camp, or pilates. You could then move to health talks where ergonomics and mental health are popular topics. And finally, integrating meditation, classes on how to reduce anxiety and stress, maintaining perspective, and mental focus are popular. A fair like this could last an afternoon and take place once per month.

Your physical presence as a fitness professional was (and still is) important. But the current circumstances are what they are. Reinventing yourself and adapting to this climate is possible, as the demand is there. But best yet - companies are wide open to suggestions!