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THE drastic number of individuals losing their jobs in the fitness industry is inevitable.
Be it the Malaysia Fitness Coalition or the Sports Industry Coalition, none has survived.
We heard the cries of gym owners having to close their doors and barely surviving, how the sports industry has incurred RM524.5 million in losses as of early this year and how the RM3,000 one-off financial aid is so insignificant in light of the bigger picture.
So, with the losses of jobs, many have resorted to doing odd jobs for survival.
The Vibes spoke to a few in the fitness industry on the severity of their situation.
Zhul Fiqqhar, a personal trainer who managed the coaches at Level Up Fitness in Kuching, has lost majority of clients since the start of the pandemic.
“It’s like a reset for us. Convincing our clients to start training again is tough since many have also lost their jobs.
“Emotionally it’s exhausting because I’m constantly worried about my future and second guessing whether I’m doing the right thing in this industry."
Dzianti, who has been running Merican Muay Thai Gym with her husband Saiful Merican for the past 11 years has also faced multiple closures in the past one and a half years and with no live events to compete in, shares similar views.
Serine, owner of Yoga Plus, Penang, had around 100 active members before the pandemic. But now has been left with around 5 active members.
“I had to shut down one of the two shop units that I own. With most of my clients working from home, and 50% of them being housemakers, most of them are already sick of the screen.”
Yet another individual who’s seen the gym he was working with shut all operations, hold off any plans of expansion and forced to look for other means of income is Duncan, National Sales Manager for Star Fitness.
Dr. Ooi Ben Shyen, a medical officer, who is also one of the owners of HangOut Climbing Gym in Penang, has had to endure months of paying fixed overheads comprising rental and staff salaries, with zero income.
Although he is grateful that he has a stable and rewarding employment as a medical officer, Dr. Ben has had to take on more hours, putting himself in the midst of the pandemic as a frontliner, just to sustain his centres.
“Alas, with little to no governmental aid, much of my income goes to keeping these entrepreneurial dreams alive, and it’s demoralising, to say the least, that after working exhausting hours to serve our community in this time of need, there is not much to show financially at the end of the month.”
With many of these individuals fighting to keep their dreams and businesses alive, it is not surprising to see a surge in home businesses.
Zhul has almost depleted his savings, and with a one-year-old daughter, he has not only had to make changes in his expenses, but also work odd jobs to sustain his family.
“I have been helping my uncle pack food for RM20-RM30 a day, involved in some food delivery service for his friend, as well as the occasional transportation services.
“I used to be very particular about the brand of diapers I used for my daughter, now, I just buy whichever is the cheapest.”
Despite not being keen in applying and accepting financial aids, Zhul has had to put aside his prejudices to do what is best for his family.
And Zhul is not the only one who has relied mostly on his savings, as Saiful and Serine have had to do the same. They too have ventured into food business to earn some extra cash.
Saiful and Dzianti started selling ayam percik, ikan bakar and keropok lekor from Terengganu during the first Movement Control Order (MCO), and during the second MCO, sold merchandise with the gym logo to students to help the trainers who helped with the deliveries. Today, they have developed a men's sport fragrance called QU-AT Sport that is sold on Shopee.
As much as they have tried moving their MMA classes online, the nature of the sport is just not virtual-friendly.
“For now, we will be concentrating on selling products online until the gym can reopen again.”
Serine, whose husband is also a trainer, has not seen any income since the pandemic started and has been relying on their savings from investments to sustain their three children’s school fees.
Meanwhile, Serine has been taken the opportunity to take online courses; while selling gyozas online and delivering it for some pocket money.
Even Dr. Ben and Duncan have started their home-cooking business, selling signature sushi baked rice and nasi lemak respectively.
“After watching numerous YouTube videos, repeated kitchen experiments, mishaps and learning from experience, I started @drchef.penang and have had massive support from our fitness kakis who order and promote my dish.”
Focusing on the simple pleasures, Dr. Ben shared how, “part of the fun is also delivering orders myself; putting that fresh from the oven package in our customer’s hands after driving 45 minutes from town to Balik Pulau, gives a satisfaction akin to successfully treating a patient and discharging them.”
On top of all these existing struggles,Serine and Dr. Ben have been working more than usual to make ends meet.
Serine shared how “We have needed to work harder and find ways out of the norm to earn a living, and for those who aren’t really IT savvy, we have to explore new techniques to cope with the trend.”
“Many people ask me how do I manage my time, being a full-time doctor, gym owner and now food delivery guy. I jokingly answer, ‘What is sleep?’ But seriously, it is hard to stay focused during what is probably the most difficult period the world has ever faced in modern times,” expressed Dr. Ben.
Duncan, who started Batik Nasi Lemak, is up every morning at 5am to prepare the food.
“I have not only had to cut down on many things and manage tight expenses, I am also awake by 5am to be hands on with the cooking and operations for Batik,” shared Duncan.
At this point, a post-pandemic future still feels distant, and as Dr. Ben explained, “From a financial viewpoint, the future does look bleak. Even if gyms were allowed to re-open, it will take a long time for people to build up confidence to step out of their homes and workout in a public area.”
And this perception is shared by Serine when she added that “people will still hesitate coming out publicly even after the industry is allowed to reopen, or some might not even have the luxury to return for classes due to financial reasons.”
But regardless, the sentiment that one’s mental health is closely related to their ability to exercise needs to be embodied by those in power.
“I have encountered a young adult in my practice just recently who was suffering from anxiety and panic attacks because he wasn’t able to workout in his gym - his go-to form of stress relief and temporary escape from this bleak reality.
“Suicides are on the rise and depression is rampant. Chronic illnesses like diabetes and high blood pressure are conditions that are alleviated by exercise and made worse by a sedentary lifestyle,
“Nothing is more sedentary than people staying at home for days on end, worrying about their loss of livelihood.” shared Dr. Ben
Zhul also shared how keeping fit improves an individual’s immune system, and how a healthy body builds a healthy mind.
Duncan shared how the business will still have to deal with the backlog throughout all the MCOs.
“It may take more time to recover (after reopening the gym) as backlog of payments and rent will have to be managed. Hiring and training of new staff will also increase our cost while efficacy levels may be low with people still worried about being in public places.”
It will be a long time before the fitness industry will be able to retain its former glory as even after being able to reopen, they will be stuck in the rehabilitation phase for quite some time. - The Vibes. July 17, 2021
