Lockdowns may stop us from going to the gym temporarily, but it seems like they don’t stop us from getting active. Garmin Connect saw another surge in fitness activities in 2021, especially ‘mindful’ activities like Pilates and breathwork were popular. In a report, Garmin shares the details.
“In the face of ongoing lockdowns and the emergence of new Covid-19 variants, Garmin users logged a record-breaking number of fitness activities in 2021”, Joe Schrick, Garmin Vice President, Fitness Segment, stated. “We already knew that our customers are performance-driven and resilient, and the data proves that even a global pandemic won’t stand in the way of their relentless drive to ‘beat yesterday’.”
When looking at triathlon-related activities, it were swimming and gravel cycling that gained most popularity in 2021. While gravel cycling activities increased with 49.55 percent, swimming went up by 22.48 percent. Also, trail running gained popularity with a growth of 11.58 percent.
However, the number one sport that was massively picked up in 2021 is Pilates (108.30 percent). Breathwork, which is related, followed on a second place with 108.20 percent. It’s noteworthy that in general, it were inside activities that grew most. When comparing the amount of indoor activity from 2021 to 2020 there’s a growth of 20.54 percent. That growth is double as high as the increase in outdoor activities, Garmin mentions.
Comparing 2021 with 2020 the biggest growth can be found in the following ten activities:
- Pilates: 108.30%
- Breathwork: 82.76%
- Gravel cycling: 49.55%
- Yoga: 45.55%
- Winter sports: 39.16%
- Walking: 37.13%
- Golf: 28.35%
- Swimming: 22.48%
- Hiking: 19.57%
- Trail running: 11.58%
