How this fitness platform is helping people come out of isolation, stay healthy

The sports, fitness and wellness (SFW) market in India is growing at a fast pace and is set to touch $90 billion- mark by 2022 from $35 billion in 2016, according to a 2018 report by Praxis and YourNest Venture Capital. However, this demand is more out of necessity, believes Jitendra Chouksey, Founder of FITTR - a platform launched to 'rescue' the Indian public from popular misconceptions and quick-fix solutions surrounding the fitness industry. "Our country tops the world when it comes to people suffering from diabetes and is in the third position in terms of cardiovascular diseases. The statistics are indeed sad and tragic," Chouksey told Zee Business Online. 

More and more people are realising that most of these lifestyle-related health issues can be fixed by just staying fit, he said, adding, "I think this awareness has come through platforms like ours, which is educating the people instead of fooling them by peddling snake oil!"

While there are a number of fitness apps and platforms available in the market, it is almost impossible to think of an untapped area. And then, Chouksey thought of making one consolidated app that can do everything. Just like most other game-changing ideas, this one too came on a usual day when he was browsing apps on his phone.

"The idea struck one fine day when I was browsing through several fitness apps on my phones and realised that there are abundant apps addressing multiple issues, so why can’t there be just one consolidated app that can do everything. This was when I thought of creating FITTR, which would serve as a one-stop solution to all personalized fitness goals and also inspire people to get healthier by engaging them with transformational journeys shared by their peers," he said. The platform now has 170 coaches and gets close to 3000 clients a month. 

"I think the biggest USP of FITTR is the community. In the age of technology where people are getting more and more disconnected with each other, FITTR brings in the human angle and tries to reconnect then through common interest! Getting fit in isolation is neither fun nor easy and not everybody has a support network for motivation to stay fit," Chouksey explained. He added that the community supports every member, allows fitness enthusiasts to ask questions related to fitness, showcase themselves in front of the world through challenges and stay motivated.

The platform is currently working on an algorithm which allows users to know how they might look like if they lose 'x' amount of weight. 

"FITTR will truly become a one-stop shop for all fitness-related things; coaching, fitness centres, healthy food and gym wear. However, we will not be doing it all by ourselves. We are and would be collaborating with multiple companies in the future for the same. Users will also experience a lot of interesting features and tools backed by AI, which will help them manage their fitness goals at ease," he concluded.