"Enjoying Vacation While Exercising" How the MZ Generation Enjoys Working Out

Golf, Tennis, CrossFit... 2030 Sports Trends
Expressing 'Me' by Posting Workout Photos on SNS

[Asia Economy Culture Young Intern Reporter] "I live for the joy of exercising every day."

A in his 20s, a civil service exam candidate, is excited these days when he thinks about CrossFit (a workout that develops various muscles evenly). A said, "My neck and back are stiff from sitting all day, but when I do CrossFit, my body feels refreshed." He is not the only one among the MZ generation (born between 1980 and 2000) who refreshes their mood through exercise.

B, a young office worker, also visits the tennis court at least twice a week. After accidentally watching a "tennis vlog" on YouTube, B immediately enrolled in a tennis academy. He said, "The sport of tennis felt fresh, and I wanted to learn it at least once."

During the COVID-19 situation, the sports trends among people in their 20s and 30s are changing. They have started to look for win-win exercises that are not common but help maintain health and provide a kind of joy of learning. In the past, jogging and gym workouts were dominant, but nowadays, sports that were less accessible to the 20s and 30s are gaining popularity.

The MZ generation is opening a new sports trend by enjoying golf, tennis, CrossFit, and more. Photo by Clipart Korea

◆ Related industries grow rapidly following MZ generation sports trends

According to the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the proportion of people who regularly participate in physical activities for more than 30 minutes per session, at least twice a week, was 53.3% for those in their 20s and 48.4% for those in their 30s in 2021. This is an increase compared to five years ago in 2016, when it was 46.9% for 20s and 46.8% for 30s.

The changing sports trends have brought prosperity to related industries. Sales of tennis equipment on SSG.com increased by 210% compared to 2021. Among these, sales of tennis rackets increased nearly eightfold. According to BC Card, compared to April 2019, golf-related spending in April 2021 increased by 308%, 124%, and 102% among teenagers to people in their 30s, respectively.

The MZ generation tends to plan their vacations around 'exercise,' showing a trend called 'sportscation.'

◆ This vacation's goal is 'Deukgeun'

For the MZ generation, "sportscation," where they focus on exercising even during vacations, is popular. Sportscation is a newly coined word combining sports and vacation, with more emphasis on sports than rest. Examples include enjoying a golf vacation in Jeju Island or learning surfing at the beach. Because of this, the term "Deukgeun" has emerged, referring to gaining muscles.

Vacation destinations, accommodations, schedules, and budgets are decided based on the sport they want to enjoy. This change has appeared as overseas travel restrictions and avoidance of group activities have increased. According to a survey by the leisure activity platform "Frip," among 481 respondents last month, 72.4% said they would enjoy activities during their vacation.

◆ #Ounwan #BodyProfile... This is my image

The MZ generation, active on social networking services (SNS), has made recording their exercise routines a trend. They express themselves by uploading daily exercise posts with hashtags like #Ohawoon (today's workout), #Ounwan (workout completed today), #RunDay, and #BodyProfile.

Searching #tennis and #golf on Instagram showed 880,000 and 6.85 million posts respectively as of the morning of the 18th. Most posts were certification shots or photos of people taking lessons wearing tennis outfits. CrossFit-related posts numbered 1.41 million, showing the popularity of MZ generation sports on SNS.

They also run "exercise studies" such as running crews and workout challenges to exercise with peers. Running crews usually meet once a week regularly to run together. Running with others helps maintain motivation more than running alone.

Searching #Ounwan on Instagram yielded approximately 1.88 million posts (as of the morning of the 15th) Photo by Instagram capture

For the MZ generation, exercise is not just a means to maintain health. During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has become a lifestyle to interact with people and show themselves. Especially, job seekers and office workers spend a lot of time sitting and experience significant work-related stress. C, an office worker who used to relieve stress by drinking and gaming, said, "Finding health and doing the exercise I like is much more meaningful," adding, "I can also feel a sense of accomplishment."

Professor Kwak Geum-ju of Seoul National University's Department of Psychology said about the young generation who seek new exercises and share them on SNS, "It is about fulfilling one of the human desires, 'the desire to show off,' while enjoying a pleasant satisfaction." She added, "It also provides 'self-motivation' to want to work harder and do better."