Health and Fitness Trends in the Post-COVID-19 Era in Turkey: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background.The health and fitness industry is evolving and appears to be a dynamic space for all involved stakeholders with great potential worldwide.Objectives.The purpose of this observational study was to identify the most popular health and fitness trends in Turkey for the first time after the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and to detect any potential differences with the recent results reported in other countries or regions.Methods.A national online survey was carried out, utilizing the methodology of similar international surveys conducted by the American College of Sports Medicine since 2007.Specifically, simple random sampling was used through a web-based questionnaire that was sent to 5,725 profes-sionals who worked in the Turkish health and fitness industry.Results.A total of 505 responses was collected with a response rate of 8.8%.The 10 most popular health and fitness trends in Turkey in the post-COVID-19 era were exercised for weight loss, Pilates, strength training (free weights), body weight training, personal training, core training, boutique fitness studios, group training, functional fitness training, and high intensity interval training.The present results are fully aligned with those observed for the top health and fitness trends in various Southern European countries and the European region, demonstrating that trends re-lated to technology and health are not yet popular nationwide.Conclusion.Such findings may help gym operators/managers, exercise professionals, training providers, and educators with making critical business decisions, educational and professional development opportunities, and novel exercise concepts to strengthen customer engagement, satisfaction, loyalty and retention through engaging fitness experiences in the post-COVID-19 era.