On Tuesday 23rd June, Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the reopening of pubs, restaurants, hairdressers, hotels and campsites but gyms, indoors leisure facilities and swimming pools were still not given the permission to re-open amidst concerns of spread of coronavirus infection. Whilst businesses have reported about incremental losses, gyms and fitness studios have been successful in setting up unique “work-out” areas at home as employees report of increased workloads whilst managing work from home stress and home-schooling children.
Anantharaman Pattabiraman, formerly a banker at the Goldman Sachs is the CEO and Founder of Auro, an online personal training app. He launched the company in 2017 and has been competing with other online on-demand workout sessions and videos offered by counterparts such as Peleton.
“What sets Auro apart from the rest is that it offers personalised workouts with a personal trainer in your ear. The workouts are created using content from experienced world class instructors, who have curated a bank of playlists using data science and that are available in multiple languages across the world,” said Pattabiraman in a statement to Asian Voice.
The App currently includes race training plans for everything from running the first mile to training for a half marathon and from July, Auro is launching additional GPS tracking so runners can track all their metrics (Pace, distance, routes, calories, time splits et al) on the app Live and even after the completion of a run. The fitness classes available on the App also including walking, treadmill, X-trainer, strength training, rowing, yoga and are curated with playlists. Additionally, users can also overlay their music from Spotify and can integrate with Apple Watch, Garmin and Myzone. It offers a basic £8 per month subscription model, and is completely audio based. It can be accessed here: https://aurofit.co/
Gyms were formally closed on March 20, and there had already been a steep fall in usage over the preceding week as the spread of coronavirus gathered pace. There was a 400 per cent rise in the purchase of home gym equipment in early April, with exercise bikes and elliptical trainers proving most popular. Gyms have been lobbying the government for their re-openings. With a projected £2 billion ‘social cost’ in maintaining restrictions on gyms until October, the sector had already published detailed proposals that, with Government approval, would have allowed it to reopen. However, now they have been left out of the loop. Commenting on the omission of indoor gyms in the 4 July reopening plans, Anthony Franklin, founder and managing director of Fibido, said,
“It is disappointing that the British public will have to wait even longer for gyms to reopen. Exercise is an essential part of life and one of the few things that we were permitted to leave the house for under the strictest lockdown measures. The fact that there is no sign of a date of review or reconsideration from the government will add further strain to the industry, fitness professionals and leisure centres.
“While many Brits will again take to the pavements and outdoors to get their exercise fix, we urge gyms and trainers to engage their clients in the community and take advantage of the forecasted weather to organise outdoor training sessions. The visibility of outdoor sessions will be a catalyst and help drive appreciation for the health benefits of fitness, and the positive impact fitness professionals, clubs and operators have on our lives, especially once the warmth or summer is replaced with cold dark nights, and we will all be craving an activity fix.”
In the meantime, Johnson has also announced that "most leisure and tourist attractions will reopen if they can do safely.” As a result, hotels, holiday apartments, caravan parks and campsites will now be allowed to operate, as long as shared facilities are kept clean. This is a huge relief for the UK hospitality industry, and for many campsite and holiday park owners, who feared that strict rules surrounding the use of shared facilities such as toilets and shower blocks would force them to remain closed for the foreseeable future. UK tour operators still eagerly await the detailed guidance they'll need to prepare for the resumption of business.
The country is also likely to scrap the 14-day quarantine policy is up for review on June 29. An announcement is expected to be made regarding "air bridges" that would enable European holidays, with frontrunners including Spain, Greece and Portugal. Tui, the UK's largest tour operator, will offer a small number of trips to Spain and Greece from July 11.
Paul Joseph, Founder of Health and Fitness Travel said: “Our clients are actively seeking ways to enhance their health and fitness on the go. We have seen an increase in new bookings for travel at the end of 2020 and throughout 2021. During lockdown, the importance of diet, fitness and healthy practices has become clear and this reflects the values of today’s health-conscious consumers.”
