State of the Fitness Industry 2022

PEOPLE NEED TO INVEST IN THEMSELVES, AND OUR GOVERNMENT LEADERS NEED TO INVEST IN PHYSICAL ACTIVITY

By Sara Hodson

The Health and Fitness Industry is a vital part of our society and economy. In Canada, we employ more than 82,000 people directly, and thousands more indirectly. The fitness industry generates billions of dollars in revenue annually, and saves the government billions of dollars in healthcare costs. Furthermore, the fitness industry is proven to improve physical activity levels, which leads to a more robust and productive economy.

In June 2022, a landmark report was released in Miami at IHRSA, the Global Health and Fitness Conference. The report, Economic Health & Societal Well-Being: Quantifying the Impact of the Global Health and Fitness Sector, proved what we have known for decades: physical activity is vital to a vibrant economy and a healthy population, and the cost of inactivity is too high not to take action immediately.

Let us start with the good: The Canadian fitness industry contributes significantly to our GDP - $2.2 billion dollars directly to the economy and an additional $1.8 billion dollars indirectly. The by-products of what we do - improving physical and mental health - is the take-home message from this report. We know that 150 minutes of moderate to vigorous exercise weekly reduces rates of chronic health conditions, reduces the risk of dementia, improves brain health, sleep, concentration, and mood. Exercise is as effective as medication for many mental health conditions - such as anxiety, stress, and depression.

The cost of inactivity is staggeringly high: we spend more than $5 billion dollars each year treating conditions that could be prevented by a physically active lifestyle, as well through lost productivity. Did you know that we lose more than 19 million days each year from absenteeism and presenteeism?

The report stated that, “Investing $2000 in successfully helping an inactive person become active results in a payback period of less than one year.” ONE YEAR! This is incredibly powerful data for our industry. We must use this data now. The last few years have proven to us that we need the fitness industry - we have evolved and become more laser-focused on our collective mission: to make Canada the healthiest nation in the world.

How are we going to do it?

We have three vital ways to engage with our active population, and to help inactive Canadians achieve a healthy lifestyle, once and for all.

1. Connection

Many of our active members figured out how to exercise on their own. But people need people.. We ran a promotion at my business, LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, offering “frozen” members a chance to come back, free for two months. It was a risk that paid off - one of my members said to me, “Sara, I bought the weights, I got the bike, I did the Zoom classes. It wasn’t the same. I need this!”

Next Steps:

Our members need community. They need high fives, and they need to be called out in class! The value of social connection cannot be understated. The fitness industry is in a unique position to build not only physical and mental health, but social health. For the inactive Canadian who has never known the joy of a fitness family, this is the time to bring them in. People have been thirsty for human connection - they are truly parched. Bring them to the well and let them drink!

2. Motivation

More than 50 percent of Canadians are not active enough, and one-third of Canadians are completely inactive. They know they need to exercise but they do not know how to start. What does the fitness industry do best? Motivate and inspire. But here is what has changed - fitness is not simply physique and performance - it is mobility and strength, stress management, and living well in our bodies and minds.

Next Steps:

You know the expression, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone?” This is so telling for the fitness industry in 2022 - but we have to remind our members of how motivating and inspiring it is to be around people with a common goal. One clear takeaway from this report is that the health and fitness industry “can play an important role in facilitating lifetime physical activity.” In the absence of motivation, we have accountability.

3. Expertise

Our industry is full of qualified people: from kinesiologists to nutritionists who understand how the body functions, and how to design programs for individual needs. Let us be honest: it is really hard to start exercising, and for some it is even harder to start again. We know that more than 30 percent of the Canadian population is obese, and this population needs to know that exercise is not about weight loss - they will reap huge benefits - from reducing insulin levels to improving heart and lung function, by moving safely.

Next Steps:

Be bold and proud of the talent within your walls, and become competitive with other industries. The Fitness Industry, like many other Canadian industries, is experiencing a labor shortage. We need to provide employees with excellent wages and work with purpose to attract and retain exceptional people.

The Fitness Industry Council has been advocating for a Medical Tax Exemption at the federal level and a Physical Activity Tax Credit at the provincial level. In 2021, Newfoundland and Labrador became the first province and territory to implement this: everyone filing their taxes can claim up to $2000 each year for physical activity. Interestingly, in the report, the cost of moving someone from inactive to active was estimated at….$2000 per year!

The evidence and data are clear: it is the time for massive change in Canada,. People need to invest in themselves, and our government leaders need to invest in physical activity. Without significant policy change, nothing will change. The best of intentions do not lead to action without a plan.

We know change is possible. Let us move in the right direction.

Sara Hodson, CEO of LIVE WELL Exercise Clinic, is President of Fitness Industry Council of Canada. To join the FIC visit ficdn.ca. To find out more about bringing a LIVE WELL Clinic in your community, please email us at sara@livewellclinic.ca.