Technology is being leveraged immensely to make fitness solutions more home-centric: Shivjeet Ghatge

Shahid Akhter, editor, ETHealthworld, spoke to Shivjeet Ghatge, CEO, StepSetGo, to figure out the fitness trends that have emerged during work from home culture.

Fitness trends that you anticipate in the near future?
2022 is set to unravel with a mix of trends. Some are an extension of those we noted in the previous year. For instance, users have adopted the mantra "Convenience is key" when it comes to fitness. Since 2020/2021, they are rapidly accepting home workout solutions. Companies are increasingly innovating to come up with different avenues and features that meet the demands of the modern-day consumer. In 2022, we expect technology to be leveraged immensely to make fitness solutions more home-centric. While Peloton is what everyone wants to talk about, it’s important to understand that India is a very price-sensitive market. The companies that understand this will be able to truly crack open the home fitness market. Finally, there will be a focus on making fitness more engaging and social to keep users from giving up and churning. Enticing products coupled with easy-to-deliver services with gamification and social hooks are what users will expect as a holistic experience.

How has the pandemic impacted the fitness industry?
It would not be wrong to say that the virus outbreak has both positive and negative impacts on the fitness industry. Its biggest downside was that, due to the various restrictions and lockdowns, the offline entities were at a standstill. However, the awareness regarding healthy living and regularly working out has increased drastically. With many creating home-workout spaces, companies are striving to capitalise on this avenue. This trend has not only motivated the large traditional fitness brands to explore new facets, but it has also motivated a multitude of new players to enter this space.

How is fitness taken care of in the new work-from-home culture?
I believe that this culture is driving India towards a healthier tomorrow. In pre-Covid times, many people complained that they missed their workout because of the commute to the workout studio/gym. However, working from home has removed this barrier, giving professionals the time to unwind, relax, and exercise even on weekdays. With home workouts coupled with products that can help you access most, if not all, forms of exercise at home, users can easily schedule their sessions and continue their fitness journey with maximum convenience.

Your foray into fitness.
I have always had a love-hate relationship with my fitness regime. I usually start some sort of fitness activity every 3-4 months and give up on it within 15 days. This habit was why I became a little too unhealthy during the first lockdown. The excess amounts of junk food coupled with 14–16 working hours a day made me gain more weight than I ever had in my life. I hit 86 kgs in August 2020.

Suddenly, it struck me that I was working on a fitness application that encourages others to inculcate fitness as a lifestyle, and I was failing to practise this same ideology. So by the end of August, I decided to maintain a certain level in StepSetGo (ensuring I took at least 15,000 steps daily) and coupled that with some weight training at home (3–4 times a week). I also made some changes to my diet and cut out junk completely. By following these simple steps, I reached 68 kg by March 2021. Since then, I have been maintaining my fitness levels by indulging in some or other fitness activity for about 20–40 minutes every day.

What are your future plans?
With StepSetGo (SSG), we are planning to roll out a large number of features to help users stick consistently to their walking journey, and we are also adding elements of more core fitness features to help users upgrade from only walking to other fitness activities. Our primary aim is to establish SSG as a user’s preferred partner in the fitness journey. Currently, we are all set to introduce (apart from more fitness features) more ways to spend in-app coins, provide insurance solutions and launch SSG merch, and we are working closely with corporates. Features include water drinking reminders, diet plans, and customised home workout solutions. Our focus is to create an ecosystem where fitness reigns supreme.