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From pro athletes to everyday Indonesians, fitness booms during pandemic
“I believe it is important to go out and participate in sports or exercise activities because not only does it make you feel better physically, it also improves your mental wellness,” the former Liverpool FC icon said during a recent press conference on the club’s upcoming 2021 Kop Run Indonesia event in Jakarta.
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s a man who spent most of his life running on pitches, English soccer legend Michael Owen knows the value of exercise for one’s overall well-being.
“I believe it is important to go out and participate in sports or exercise activities because not only does it make you feel better physically, it also improves your mental wellness,” the former Liverpool FC icon said during a recent press conference on the club’s upcoming 2021 Kop Run Indonesia event in Jakarta.
“Sports and exercise are social activities. You meet people, interact with them, and you feel better about yourself in the process.”
Over a year since the COVID-19 pandemic’s unwelcome emergence, you might have noticed that more and more people seem to be putting greater emphasis on daily fitness, sports or exercise routines now that public health protocols have limited mobility.
Many have realized that they can no longer give in to idleness and have found their own ways to deal with the problem, often with the help of technology and good-old-fashioned sheer will.
The sports nut
Lockdowns and strict public health protocols have been especially hard for those who were very active in outdoor sports and exercise prior to the pandemic.
“Before, I used to play football every week with my friends. In the first few months of the pandemic when everything was closed, I was bothered that I couldn’t do any outdoor activities at all,” said 29-year-old former construction engineer Defrio Nandi Wardhana.
Determined to stay active while still complying with pandemic restrictions, Nandi has found a few solutions that offer him the social and mental benefits of his previous exercise regimen.
“One is that my friends and I have decided to download running apps, and we compete against each other online in runs every couple of days and share [the results] with each other,” he said, noting that he generally sought out the social and competitive factors of sports for his mental well-being.
Online fitness apps like Strava that emphasize a social media component have become a solution for many Indonesian sports enthusiasts.
“Doing sports with friends is more competitive and you can push one another to become better. Whereas doing things on my own, there is a danger of complacency,” Nandi said.
The formerly inactive
For some people, fitness was a distant concept prior to the pandemic.
But with ample free time as a result of the pandemic, musician Remedy Waloni began to change his previously lazy ways and embrace the benefits of fitness.
“When musical activities stopped, I had a lot of time on my hands,” the 35-year-old said. “The decision was either start exercising or buy a PlayStation. Luckily, I chose the former, because I realized I wasn’t as fit as I would have liked to be.”
The Trees and the Wild front man has taken up running as his physical activity of choice. He has run almost daily and with considerable rigor. Now, it has become a sort of obsession.
“I like [running] because it provides me with the precious time I need for myself. It lets me set my own pace and helps me become more aware of myself too,” he said.
While he runs alone, Remedy finds the social aspects of the Strava app helpful for understanding his physical limits and as a motivational tool to push beyond his targets.
“Running is a very personal activity. People work hard to maintain themselves so that they can do it. Apps like Strava reflect that hard work through pure numbers, and the records I see posted by people like pro runners and friends are a motivation,” he said.
The Kop Run
Many consider the social aspects of exercise necessary for motivation and accountability. Prior to the pandemic, marathons and fun runs were popular events where members of the public could share the fitness experience with each other, usually for a good cause.
Liverpool FC is holding an event in Jakarta that aims to provide this type of experience.
The club’s Kop Run event will be held in Indonesia for the first time from June 14 to July 25, albeit virtually.
Runners can participate in various races of 5 km, 10 km, up to the ultimate goal of 100 km over the course of 6 weeks from wherever they choose.
They can use the Liverpool FC app and Google Tracker to log runs and can earn points for a chance to win prizes.
With Indonesia home to the largest Liverpool FC fanbase in the world, organizers saw fit to hold a Kop Run in the country. Plans for an outdoor Jakarta Kop Run in 2020 had to be postponed because of the pandemic.
AXA Indonesia country chief executive officer Julien Steimer, whose company is sponsoring the event, said the organizers sought to provide an opportunity for the public to participate in a collective event that promoted fitness during a time when everyone seemed forced into a state of perpetual idleness.
“With this digital format, [we are] encouraging a level of flexibility and freedom that can encourage wider participation, with the ultimate goal of supporting physical and mental well-being,” he said.
Registration for the event is available until July 10.
