“Are you heading for the gym?” is the more common and friendly query when I am spotted with a set of activewear. People have accustomed to the idea of working out at the gym that it has become a modern and urban equivalent to leading an active lifestyle, specifically for the city dwellers.

I run twice a week, tagging along with groups of runners at local public parks. Public parks with running trail are like urban oasis in the concrete jungle, nothing can beat the great outdoor environment.

As a citizen of a nation who have constant cravings for ‘good food’ I knew I must keep obesity at bay in the form of a better diet and exercise.

But today I am not going to expand on the topic of proper diet plans or how healthy eating can make us feel great, have more energy and eliminate mood swings. In today’s article, I am going to explore two markets that go hand in hand with the lifestyle of the health conscious urbanites.

The gym culture

Among your peers, do you hear of the phrase “I am going to the gym” more often now?

Take a look around. Chances are you would have already noticed a lot more fitness franchises are setting up shops in every possible corner of the city and have rapidly become fixtures in the high streets and shopping malls.

Working out has more or less been perceived as a “men’s thing”, but as women’s spending power grows, both male and female young professionals are devoting more time and cash to tone and sculpt their bodies in order to stay in shape.

Depending on the gym one is signing up for, a minimum of RM100 monthly commitment is only one part of the investment towards a healthier self. Because along with it, one will be introduced to the gym supplements recommended by the friendly and charming gym instructor or personal trainer to help you achieving your fitness goals.

And then, there is this thing about our ego — to look chic while working out.

Fitness meets fashion

I know I am guilty of this one. I am among the female young professionals who have an appetite for fashionable workout wear for both functional performance and style appeal.

Before I started to take running seriously, I have never give much thought to the fitness and activewear industry. I could not have wrap my head around the idea of owning another set of clothing for the purpose of working out.

As it turns out, largely thanks to the influence of marketing messages by the global sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas, I ‘realised’ that I ‘want’ to be chic even when I am working out.

Alas, I am merely a mortal who succumbed to targeted marketing after all.

According to market research by Euromonitor International, valued at an estimated USD 80 billion, the US market for sportswear is by far the largest globally, over three times higher in value than the second-ranked sportswear market China. At USD 263 billion in global retail sales in 2013, sportswear sales constitute 15.3% of the overall clothing market. In Malaysia, Adidas (M) Sdn Bhd leads in 2013 with 11% value share and RM392 million.

Let’s make active lifestyle a long term goal

Sure, we can easily fall for a workout regime that promises flat abs and tighter butt as much as every other body conscious individual.

But guess what? The more important reason to exercise is because it makes us feel great. Set an achievable goal and keep at it. Before you even realise it, exercise has become such an integral part of your life that you can’t stand a week without it.