As the air thickens with smog in north India, fitness enthusiasts are ditching the outdoors for indoor gyms. The gyms, on their part, are filled to capacity, with many enterprising ones offering purified air as well. At the same time, exercise equipment makers are laughing their way to the bank as choked runners place orders for treadmills and exer-cycles to workout at home.
“Festive binges and party season are reasons for people to take to fitness routines more aggressively. But as the air quality worsens, especially in northern parts, we are seeing memberships rise,” said Richa Mishra, VP-operations of gym chain Anytime Fitness. “Last November, our new memberships were sold out and the count reached around 8,000. This year, we surpassed last year’s count by mid-November.” With 137 gyms across India, including 117 outlets in north India and 70 in Delhi-NCR, Anytime Fitness’ 90% gyms are equipped with a duct system to ensure clean air to maintain optimal indoor air quality, shared Mishra.
Rohit Marya, CEO of Ozone chain of gyms with seven outlets across north India, has seen a 20-25% average rise in gym memberships and walk-ins this November. “Pollution is one big concern for many fitness enthusiasts. From November to January, we see many new members,” he said.
“These are mostly the middle-aged, who are unable to exercise outdoors. When their activity is restricted, they switch to a safe and hygienic controlled gym environment,” said Marya. Ozone sees 100-150 walk-ins in Delhi and 70-80 walk-ins in tier 2 cities like Ludhiana on a daily basis. Group activities like dance, Zumba and yoga are particularly popular. “This is another reason why people switch to gyms as they enjoy working out in a group and in a healthy environment,” added Marya, whose gym membership starts at Rs 70,000 and goes up to Rs 2.5 lakh per annum.
Similarly, health and fitness app FITPASS, where members have access to workout across 8,100 locations in 75+ cities in India for yoga, pilates, Zumba, kickboxing, crossfit, spinning, aerobics and more, has seen revenue growth 1.75x higher in November than last year.
“In November, we see a demand for resistance training (strength workouts) and aerobic activities like yoga, Zumba, pilates, low-intensity cardio, etc, and decline in high-intensity training,” said Akshay Verma, co-founder, FITPASS, adding, “Most of our partner gyms are equipped with HEPA filters and advanced air purification systems, ensuring cleaner and healthier air than outdoors or at home. Additionally, gyms offer a controlled environment with regular sanitisation protocols, making them a safer and more hygienic option for workouts.”
E-commerce giants Amazon and Flipkart have seen a steady rise in demand for home workout equipment, reflecting significant shift toward at-home fitness solutions in the pollution months. “We have observed an over 25% YoY growth in equipment needed for yoga, while demand for weights and dumbbells has surged by over 30% YTD,” said KN Srikanth, director, home, kitchen and outdoors, Amazon India.
Srikanth said this year they have seen an over 10% increase in the premium range in the home workout categories, with products like adjustable dumbbells and 8-10 mm TPE yoga mats emerging as bestsellers. “Additionally, the walking pad and under-desk treadmill category has grown by over 50% YoY,” he added.
At Flipkart, categories such as home gym equipment and exercise bikes have seen a remarkable growth in recent months. The demand for home gym combos has surged by over 3X, and for treadmills, it has doubled by 2X. “This trend underscores evolving consumer behaviour toward at-home fitness,” said a Flipkart spokesperson.
Fintech startup SaveIN, which deals in embedded finance and pay-later options for healthcare treatments like alternative medicine, gyms, physiotherapists and more, has noticed a significant 60% rise in the first 15 days in November this year when people opted for gym memberships and personal training sessions.
“The smog in north India has made outdoor activities hazardous, forcing people to take to indoor fitness,” said Jitin Bhasin, CEO & founder, SaveIN, whose startup offers no-cost EMI payment plans across 1,000 gyms in India.
Live and virtual fitness sessions in the form of yoga and dance classes are also trending. Wellness platform Habuild has designed an online yoga community where over 2 lakh people have joined free yoga challenges in a month. “Indoor exercises protect respiratory health and low-intensity activities like yoga, simple stretches, or mobility exercises are excellent choices as they don’t overwork the lungs. We advise our subscribers to use air purifiers or practice in a room with plants like snake plants or peace lilies to help improve air quality. Mindfulness practices like meditation or pranayama help the body cope with the stress caused by pollution,” said Saurabh Bothra, CEO & certified yoga instructor at Habuild.