Fitness in tough economic times

I was reading an interview the publication Brandweek had with Steve Battista, svp-brand of Under Armour. They were discussing the recent entry of the Under Armour brand into the running shoe market. The running shoe market, a market filled with big names like Nike, New Balance, and Mizuno, is already chocked full of high quality shoes with the latest in running technology. I myself am a runner who has tried many different shoes and see no need for another major brand to enter the running shoe market.

However, the entrance of yet another major shoe company in the running shoe market is not what caught my eye. While reading, Steve Battista said there was lots of evidence that the number of people involved in running increased during difficult economies. He claimed to not buy into it, but I beg to differ.

Think about it.  In a tough economy, people tend to have more time on their hands. Many have either lost their jobs or have had the number of hours they work each week cut back.  That means less time at the office and more free time. When we’re going through a tough economy, everybody stresses, whether they’ve lost their job, are in danger of losing their job, or are secure.  Everyone gets stressed. What happens to be one of the best stress beaters known to man? Exercise! Fitness! Running! More free time means more time to kill. A tough economy means more stress to beat.

In my view, people have two major options to beat stress. One is to settle down in front of the TV with a big box of chocolates and watch reruns of the Beverly Hillbillies, or they can get out and exercise.  Exercise is cheap, particularly if you take up running, it kills time, and it makes you feel good afterward. That box of chocolates will make you feel worse than you did when you started!

So maybe the sporting goods industry isn’t so bad off. Sure, sales are down and layoffs are happening at the big sporting goods manufacturers and retailers, but people can turn to exercise to relieve stress.

At least this means there will still be a demand for sporting goods while the economy goes through its worst. That demand may be down, but it will still be there.

I guess the demand for chocolate will still be there, too.

Just my two cents on fitness in tough economic times and the sporting goods industry.

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Tags: economy, fitness in tough economic times, running shoe market, sporting goods industry, tough economy, Under Armour