Ketan Mavinkurve is the Founder and CEO of Alpha Coach. He is a Chartered Accountant and has worked in prestigious firms such as PricewaterhouseCoopers, Ernst & Young, and last served as Vice President at Berggruen Holdings, India for15 years. Prior to Alpha Coach, Ketan also co-founded AKRO Fitness, a boutique personal training studio in Mumbai, one of the most notable brands in the personal training brands in the country. Ketan is a fitness enthusiast, and after struggling with his own fitness for over a decade due to lack of knowledge and proper guidance, has dedicated his time and efforts to create businesses designed to positively impact people’s health and fitness, and help them create long-term sustainable lifestyle solutions. He is always challenging the status quo, breaking barriers, and blasting through ceilings we set for our own personal growth. “Everyone has the right and obligation to be fit, strong and healthy,” Ketan says, – so with Alpha Coach, he has created a platform to allow everyone to achieve their health goals. He also walks the talk in terms of taking action and execution and takes his own fitness very seriously. He truly believes that “No matter how hard the struggle is – if one wants something desperately, they need to go out and get it!”
Over the last couple of years, we’ve dealt with lockdowns, gym closures, and restricted gym capacity. We’ve started to look at new ways to keep ourselves fit. While there was a wave of dejection & negativity, there was a positive. We’re seeing a shift towards a more holistic approach to fitness. But having an overfull fridge as our only co-worker wasn’t beneficial for our fitness goals …
The pandemic affected not only our physical health but challenged our mental health as well.
But every downside has an upside. Whether you’re still afraid of going back to the gym or not, we can all agree that this affected us in every area of our life. Luckily, the online fitness industry stepped up and pivoted to keep people healthy. And it all happened online…
Many people started looking at their health in a much different way. Yoga, group dance classes, and bodyweight workouts at home are getting way more popular. We’re getting more mindful when it comes to nutrition and our health in general. This results in new opportunities across various online platforms.
While health and fitness are often mentioned together, the industry needed a redirection in the definition of health. Many people could look aesthetically fit but still live an unhealthy lifestyle.
Let’s face it, being on a caloric deficit for the rest of your life is not sustainable. The six-pack might be short-term motivation, but the craving for food is stronger than how you look. We Indians love our curries, snacks, and other treats. That’s why our main priority from looking good should shift to living good. This means a lifestyle where we eat what we love (every now and then), and have a healthy relationship with food.
While the famous new year’s resolutions resulted once again in a spike of sign-ups in January, this year it exceeded all expectations. with users signing up for online fitness apps and services far higher than in previous years.
I could write a book about the various reasons, but let me share the 3 most influential that I’ve experienced.
- Judgment-free workouts
Many people avoid public gyms due to a fear of judgment. They tell themselves they’re not experienced enough, not making any progress towards their fitness goals. Online fitness provides an opportunity to work out in the comfort of their homes. Without any weights, they can go at their own pace while building up self-confidence. One of our clients recently texted: “I just did a 20-second plank, I never believed I could make that happen!” Isn’t that the beauty of online coaching? It allows coaches to make a tailor-made plan for each individual. Online coaching allows you to be the boss while having a safe space to build your confidence.
- Time convenient & price efficient
In a world where being busy is often rewarded, we are our own worst enemies. We tell self-sabotaging stories like; the gym is too far, we’re too busy, or too tired today to workout. Home workouts provide you with the flexibility to work out where- and whenever you want. You have the ability to stay home and go at your own pace. This allows you to build momentum while saving time and money.
You can now start working out for a ‘few bucks’ a month, and train with the best coaches in the world. You’re not tied to your local neighbourhood trainers. Online coaching results in low-risk and high-reward solutions.
- Hyper-personalization
What works for you, doesn’t work for me. Personal trainers only educate you on a physical aspect. With personal online coaching, your coach also educates you to live a sustainable lifestyle, based on your specific needs. Technology allows us to be more connected than ever. You have support, guidance, and expertise a few clicks away. The apps make tracking your progress easier, and you know what they say: “What Gets Measured, Gets Done”. Personal coaching with tech enhancements provides long-term solutions. Online platforms have become a place for people that live a sustainable and enjoyable lifestyle.
There are scores of people that have tried fitness, “failed” and believed that it wasn’t for them. Now people are experiencing that they were not the problem, they just needed a better approach!
These 3 factors combined help many people to find a holistic approach towards health, fitness, and life in general.
The desire to build a healthy lifestyle has grown immensely and that results in a spike in demand. Research shows that many people are ready to get back to the gym and their post-pandemic routines. But the virtual component is there to stay. The demand will keep increasing because of its convenience, time, and cost-efficiency.
Technology allows health & fitness companies to impact millions of people digitally. Online coaching has no geographical boundaries, time constraints, and is available for the fraction of a regular coach!
Online fitness changed the fitness world as we know it, and this is just the beginning.
The many benefits of online fitness include:
- Considerable time and cost efficiencies.
- High Flexibility & Convenience, due to hyper-personalization.
- Able to enjoy our weight loss journey, at our own pace.
- Having an expert coach guiding us 24/7.
- Build a sustainable lifestyle through a more holistic approach.
- Building rapport between Coach and Client results in sustainable results.
The shift of awareness, the desire to live a healthy lifestyle, and the need to improve our immune systems are 3 crucial factors for a raging demand. While the upcoming web 3 seems to make everyone a lot of money, the real wealth is in health. So my advice, start investing in fitness on both ends of the spectrum.
“Life is all about ups and downs, so if the only guarantee in life changes, why don’t we learn how to adapt to our ever-evolving environment? It’ll pay you the most dividends in the long-term!”