December 7, 2011: Fitness Apps
Americans have a yin and yang relationship with health and fitness issues. While apparently most of us—a whopping 68 percent, according to a report published in the medical journal The Lancet—are overweight, we still jump at the chance to spend money on the latest health and fitness solutions. That’s partly why the future looks bright for businesses that offer, according to BusinessNewsDaily, “health-related content and services to consumers.”
The market for mobile healthcare applications is particularly promising, according to the Mobile Devices and mHealth report from tech forecast and research firm ABI Research, which predicts these apps will grow from $120 million in 2010 revenues to $400 million in 2016. Just a few years ago, apps like these would have been in the “who-would-have-thought-it-possible?” category. But today, thanks to Bluetooth technology, your mobile devices can communicate with a device you wear that tracks your physical activity and monitors your fitness goals.
But people trying to get or stay in shape aren’t the only market for health and fitness apps. BusinessNewsDaily says apps that monitor home healthcare and personal emergency response will also be in high demand as America ages.
Don’t worry if you’re not the techy type. Even if you can’t create apps, you can get in on the opportunities the health and fitness market offers. If you own a restaurant, for instance, think about offering more vegetarian entrees on your menus (even non-vegetarians are demanding more non-meat choices). As I told you previously, yoga is still going strong, and Lululemon is just one example of a company that made a fortune selling yoga clothing and accessories.
Take advantage of the American paradox: The fatter we get, the fitter we dream about being.