BEIJING: China celebrates its National Fitness Day on August 8, commemorating the successful hosting of the Beijing Olympics and promoting a nationwide fitness ethos.
With societal progress and technological advancements, Generation Z, in particular, has begun to reshape their understanding and expectations of physical fitness.
One notable trend is the rise of home fitness. The lockdowns during the pandemic propelled the popularity of exercising at home, a trend that continues to thrive in the post-pandemic era. The market has responded with a plethora of smart fitness equipment, workout apps and virtual coaching, offering a rich array of options for users.
China’s e-commerce giant JD.com recently unveiled its sports consumption report for the first half of 2024, revealing a marked shift toward integrating fitness into daily routines. The demand for compact and convenient fitness equipment has surged, with items such as resistance bands, kettlebells, mini steppers and compact ellipticals becoming popular additions to homes. The report underscores substantial growth in sales across various fitness equipment categories. Kettlebells, essential for muscle strength training, saw a staggering year-on-year sales increase of 380 percent. Jump rope machines experienced a 266-percent rise, while mini ellipticals, known for quick fat burning, posted a 46-percent increase compared to the same period last year.
Che Yiying, a sophomore at Shandong University, is a huge fan of the video game named Ring Fit Adventure for Nintendo’s handheld gaming system Switch, which comes with a controller with gesture-based technology known as a Ring-con.
“Fitness can be boring, but this game makes it fun and easier to stick with,” she said, adding that this product has even motivated her previously inactive parents to start exercising. Moreover, the role of social engagement in maintaining motivation has also gained prominence.
The diversification of fitness activities was one of the defining trends of China’s fitness industry for 2023, with people’s exercise routines increasingly shifting from indoor settings to outdoor environments, according to a data report on China’s fitness industry published at 2024 IWF Shanghai Fitness Expo in March this year. –The Daily Mail-CGTN news exchange item
