Never before has a great body been so desired and so accessible, with photos and videos of people at the gym or working out being posted to social media daily by the thousands. Today, fitness culture has truly permeated the American landscape.
Even in suburban areas such as Chandler, Arizona, gyms are popping up fast and boasting their own models for #fitspiration and #fitnessgoals. Almost every gym, whether through clever use of social media or SEO, has vastly improved in recruiting people to become regular customers and convincing them to stay, leading to an exponential growth in gym culture.
Here are some reasons for the meteoric rise of gym culture:
1. People know fitness is important.
With technology making information more accessible than ever, everybody is all too familiar with the benefits of exercising and the dangers of remaining sedentary. With health and obesity also being regular newsworthy topics, people are determined to shape up and ensure themselves a longer and better life.
Gyms today offer a wide variety of fitness programs and equipment for different needs, thanks to advances in exercise science and physiology. For example, some exercises would be for the purpose of improving conditioning and endurance, while others focus on building muscle mass.
Thus, the gym has become accessible to anyone simply seeking to become healthier, and people now know how exactly to make the gym work for their goals.
2. People want what they see.
Today, more than ever, media and pop culture expose people to the “ideal” body that they are encouraged to strive for, given the abundance of action and superhero films, as well as a good chunk of male and female shirtless scenes on our screens.
Social media also allows us glimpses into how achieving these bodies can be possible, with actors and personal trainers sharing training videos showcasing their progress. Seeing this visible progress makes them feel that achieving a great body is possible, increasing one’s motivation to get off the couch and into the gym. More than media influence, however, what matters more is influence from peers.
When people see their friends or family improve their health or lose weight, they, too, are inspired to follow suit. In fact, some people even use going to the gym together as a means of bonding, while others form friendships in the gym. Group classes being offered by gyms contribute to this as well, as one can easily witness another’s progress and be encouraged to keep up.
3. People look for convenience.
Recently, gyms have been innovating to provide better quality services and equipment, such as the case of 24-hour gyms, which allow for ultimate convenience.
As a jam-packed weekday schedule is one reason many adults do not go to the gym; this lets anyone work out at any hour they choose, thus making a gym membership even more worthwhile. The growth in gym culture has also fueled this increase in convenience, as more gyms in the neighborhood mean not having to travel so far to go to the gym anymore.
This goes hand in hand with increased urbanization, as it becomes harder to exercise by taking a walk in the park or running around the neighborhood, hence the increased preference for gyms.
The modern era has brought a whole new level of attention to fitness and gym culture. With fitness being more within reach than ever before, it is good to try it out for yourself and kickstart your road to a better, healthier lifestyle.
