Sports in Belgium – we are never running on empty
Wouldn’t you agree that the average Belgian practices sports more often than the hype around obesity would suggest? Every evening we see a runner or two putting in some extra miles, every morning groups of bikers wait impatiently at the traffic lights to cross the street, and gym memberships seem to be getting more popular by the minute. It’s clear that whoever wishes to lose some of that holiday weight, won’t need to look long for a workout partner. But in Belgium exercising and sports are much more than a healthy way to lose weight.
A Sports Culture
Popular sports for everyone
Just like in many other Western countries, sports have become engrained in our culture. Sport federations and sport clubs are still popular for team sports such as volleyball, basketball, and soccer, but sports that can be practiced independently are definitely no longer the runners-up. Why? Because you don’t need anything but a pair of good running shoes to do some power walking or running (in other words, these sports are very affordable), you can practice these sports whenever it suits you (the opening hours of the gym no longer dictate your life), and they consist largely of cardio-exercises that benefit the entire body (the same workout trains all your muscles). All of these aspects make these solo sports very interesting activities for our hectic modern-day lives.
Exercising has become a lifestyle
Of course the media and society strongly influence the way we think about sports, as physical fitness is marketed as a lifestyle. In fact, it has even become fashionable, literally. Clothing brands have started to design sports apparel as well, and sport brands often design their own new fashion lines. Furthermore, the overall importance attributed to sports nowadays has resulted in an increase in health awareness. Healthy foods and nutrition specifically designed for people who often do sports are now not only available in health food stores but also in your average supermarket. And lastly, every year the number of books about health and sports featured at the “Boekenbeurs” (Book Fair) in Antwerp grows. There are more books about Mindfulness than we can count, and the popularity of Start to run and Keep running by Evy Gruyaert with beginning joggers is considerable.
Sports and wellness
The result? Sport clubs need to adapt to what’s popular just like anything else. If they want to keep up business, they need to offer recreational sports – such as Zumba, Yoga, Spinning, Pilates – when their members request it, and feed into the lifestyle aspect of it by transforming the club also into a wellness center with sauna and steam room. Even the gaming industry (Wii Sports!) is tapping into the sports craze.
Summer & Winter Sports
Running or the gym
But which sports does the average Belgian favour nowadays? In recent years, running has gained enormously in popularity. Runners keep trying to push their boundaries by participating in marathons and triathlons, and often go for the complete runners’ look, including heart rate monitor and fluorescent jacket. But no one can ignore the surging popularity of the gym. Gyms such as Health City are slowly but surely becoming the healthy substitute in one’s social life for bars and cafés: friends can get together there to chat, but also to work out, killing two birds with one stone. In addition, gyms usually have the latest fitness equipment, meaning your TV addiction is no longer a reason not to hit the gym.
Riding your bike
Biking is nevertheless even more popular than running or going to the gym (and even swimming). It is the one sport that is not age-related, people of any and every age enjoy riding their bike on the Flemish cycling routes. And there’s a reason people say ‘It’s like riding a bike’, once you know how to do it, you’ll never forget it and you can’t really get better or worse at it. This lack of pressure to get better at it grants us relief from the competitive nature of modern life.
The red “Velo’s” in Antwerp and the yellow “Villo’s” in Brussels add to the popularity of biking in a very different manner: with their bikes, these cities aim to show people how convenient and environmentally friendly biking is. And they’re rather successful, it seems, although in Antwerp more so than in Brussels.
Skiing and mountaineering
Skiing or snowboarding gets most votes as the Belgian’s favourite holiday sport. In November and December many people already start taking lessons or go to indoor ski slopes to practice, as a way of preventing potential injury during their winter holidays. Mountaineering is still often thought of as an extreme sport, but new walking holidays destinations are added every year.
Even though our reasons for working out and doing sports might be different – some of us want to lose weight without dieting, some of us hope to maintain our health, and some of us just enjoy it – one third of the Belgian population exercises on a weekly basis. We’re in pretty good shape, wouldn’t you say so?
Keep it up!
The goldenpages.be Team
