The fitness world: how digital media and technology play a role in this
Healthier and more active lifestyles in individuals have always been encouraged in society. In a digital society, we are constantly faced with new fitness trends, challenges and overall incentives to strengthen our physical health. The growth of digital media and technology has aided in enforcing this lifestyle This blog will look at how a digitised fitness world provides numerous benefits for individuals, as well as the challenges that come with this and how this can be addressed using digital technologies.
Hybrid fitness
Fitness used to be just about keeping active and healthy. Nowadays, the options are endless, let's start off with hybrid fitness.
Hybrid fitness refers to online classes that provide an in-class experience (Agnes, 2021). This is done by offering live stream classes online for those who are unable to physically join, yet still want to engage in physical activity. This is an excellent example of a challenge that individuals may face when aiming to achieve a healthier lifestyle. People are busy and may not be able to make time in their week to travel to a gym, may not have a car or it's just simply out of the way for them. The advancements in digital media have provided a solution for this; in-class experience, but online. This way, individuals do not have to worry about travelling anywhere to achieve a healthier lifestyle.
This has been particularly effective in a COVID-19 world, with many health facilities being closed, leaving people no alternative but to follow a workout schedule online (Ingrid Skjong, 2020).
Smartwatches
Smartwatches have quickly become extremely influential gadgets in the fitness world. One example we will all recognise is the Apple watch.
Smartwatches are advertised as a ‘versatile wrist-worn companion that can help motivate you to be more active’ (Apple website). They allow individuals to track their physical activity from providing users with the number of steps they take in a day, to showing the number of calories burned in a day. This digital advancement allows people to follow their health more carefully and enables us to set fitness goals on the Apple app that we can monitor throughout the day using a small yet mighty gadget like the Apple watch.
Although, with any digital gadget there are always risks we are faced with. Having access to important health information throughout the day is an excellent way to track progress however with many digital advances, individuals may become over-reliant and obsessive. Having constant access to how many calories and burnt in a day in comparison to how much movement one makes can have negative implications for an individual’s mental health, including an increased risk of eating disorders due to the pressures of alerts from smart watches indicating a lack of movement or eating ‘too many’ calories for the day (Kyritsis, K., Diou, C., & Delopoulos, A., 2020). Luckily, many smartwatches have the option of turning these alerts off, allowing people to navigate their fitness progress without any pressure.
Calorie counting apps
As individuals commence their journey toward a healthier lifestyle, it is not uncommon to track the number of calories that are consumed in a day. Because of different fitness goals people may have, calorie counting apps are a great example of how digital media can aid in successfully achieving fitness goals.
Tracking calories and other aforementioned personal health activities is something that has only recently come about thanks to digital advances as such. Calorie-counting apps also allow people to manage their macro intake such as how much protein, carbs, and fat they consume in a day. This allows for a clear breakdown of a full day of eating, giving people a greater sense of control and awareness during their fitness journeys. This is much more reliable than estimating calories. Calorie-counting apps have also been shown to be an effective way to combat obesity (Kumanyika, S. K. 2008).
Social media platforms
In the midst of never-ending trends, challenges and giveaways that are so prominent on social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram, it's evident that the fitness world has also taken this fun approach on promoting healthier lifestyles.
We all know that TikTok and Instagram are the two main social media platforms where users can start trends, share life hacks and so much more. In general, they are very interactive apps. Another way in which the fitness world has benefitted from a more digital approach has been by incorporating this ‘trend’ culture while promoting healthier lifestyles such as running challenges, dance challenges etc. Think about it, 20 years ago the most reliable way to get fit was by getting a gym membership. Now, people will try everything they can from home and through a screen before going to the gym. Why? Why not!
Particularly during COVID, many people turned to social media platforms for fitness inspiration. Given that gyms closed down for a while, many trainers and fitness gurus took the liberty of sharing their top tips with users. From DIY dumbbells to 30-day diet challenges, users became reliant on each other and professionals on social media platforms to share their workout routines and diet tips. Notably, this lead to increased levels of motivation and positive self-perception, with a new wave of a digitalised fitness world to thank for this (Front. Psychol., 29 October 2020).
Advancements in fitness equipment
Treadmills, spin bikes, rowing machines, you name it. The options once you walk through any gym doors are endless.
Similarly to smartwatches, many gyms provide smart features in their equipment that allow users to track their progress and manage important health information such as heart rate, calories burned etc. This has allowed people to better understand how certain movement affects their body more easily than ever, irrespective of owning a smart watch or not!
Thanks to notable technological advancements such as virtual reality, this has also been applied to the fitness world by introducing virtual training. This enables people using certain machines to alter a VR headset/built-in screen on a machine to change what you can see, stimulating an outdoor feel when you choose to run on a treadmill. Because of this, people are more than ever enjoying their journeys to healthier lifestyles, allowing for more immersive and interactive workouts that would be hard to achieve without digitalised fitness.
So, where do we go from here?
What’s next in a digitalised fitness world? What could this mean for individual health and fitness?
We have seen multiple examples of how our current digital society and technological advances have redefined fitness and exercise. Fitness has now become a creative, innovative way to improve our physical and mental health. With more resources than ever, anyone and everyone can work on their fitness and health regardless of having access to a physical gym or not. It is clear that recent technology such as smartwatches, virtual exercises and advances in sports equipment has had an extremely beneficial impact on how we view exercise, as well as it has placed emphasis on the importance of enjoying the journey to a healthier lifestyle.
Technology is likely to carry on having a significant impact on the future of fitness and exercise. As research into artificial intelligence increases, so will fitness technology. For instance, it is likely that virtuality technology fitness in gyms will improve drastically, providing a more immersive and engaging experience than ever. The emergence of smart technology means that gyms are likely to become smarter and more connected in the near future such as personalised workout plans and virtual coaching, no matter where we are.
By collecting and analysing data about various health measures, future fitness technology could provide a more holistic view of health and wellness, and increase our knowledge of our own bodies and what works best for each individual. Overall, it is clear that a digitalised fitness world not only improves the quality of health and exercise culture, as well as it is able to combat challenges such as no access to gyms and not having enough resources to create an effective workout.
The options to increase health and fitness levels are endless, and the more we grow as a digital society, the more opportunities we have to increase our knowledge, enjoyment and effectiveness of exercising.
