This post is also available in:
English 
Sinhala
Go to the App Store and type in fitness apps. There are hundreds of them. Those calorie counters, exercise routines, meal planners, virtual trainers. Most of them are nicely designed, science-based, and of no use to an actual Sri Lankan.
Since the meal plan actually instructs you to have overnight oats and grilled salmon. Pol sambol, kola kanda, and dhal curry were not found in the calorie database. The workout assumes a full home gym or living close to a park with even ground. The coach on the screen is talking to somebody who doesn’t have your life at all.
This is why there is something of note going on in Sri Lanka at this moment. This might come as a surprise to the global fitness app market, but Sri Lankans are shifting their attention away from the apps to local, hyper-specific online fitness content that’s truly based on their food, their time and their life.
Why Global Fitness Apps Fail Sri Lankan Users
The issue with global fitness apps isn’t the science; it’s the execution. The science can be quite solid. The issue is the context.
Say, when a fitness app estimates your calories and tells you that your lunch was 450 calories, they are assuming that you ate a typical Western meal. Most database sources of calories in the world do not include a Lankan rice/curry lunch with dhal, pol sambol, a piece of fish and papadum. You can’t find it, or the closest is completely misrepresentative. These errors add up to no meaning over days and weeks of logging and result in false conclusions regarding what to eat.
This is also the case with workout programs. The majority of global apps just take it for granted that you are able to access a gym with particular machines, or be able to purchase equipment in your home for a number of thousands of rupees. They believe that you can work out at 6 am or 7 pm while it is cold. They assume that you have three distinct meals that adhere to the Western eating pattern. In most Sri Lankan lives, none of these assumptions are true.
The consequence is that Sri Lankans download these apps and experiment with them for 2-3 weeks, but they don’t fit and they simply delete them without talking about it. The app wasn’t right; it was just for someone else.
The advantages of Local Online Coaching over Global Apps
The online fitness coaches and virtual trainers of Sri Lanka are addressing these issues by designing programmes based on the living conditions in Sri Lanka and not replicating others’ models.
A local online coach is aware of what is in a bath packet. They can draw upon their knowledge of how to construct a calorie-balanced diet using red rice, dhal, parippu, soya, canned fish and vegetables that can be purchased at any pola. They are aware that Sinhala and Tamil New Year is a time of disruption to routines. They realise that Poya days affect their fast. They understand that doing a workout at 6 am is a possibility in Colombo; 7 pm may not be.
This is all local knowledge and it changes everything. If the meal plan suggests food that is consumed at rates that are affordable and relatable to Sri Lankan cuisine, then it is much more likely to be followed. Individuals create plans for their lives. They cancel their plans if they do not.
Sri Lankan virtual coaches offer you accountability in a way that’s natural and culturally appropriate. Clients often say that the relationship they have with a local online coach is like that of a friend who knows a lot about fitness but is also close to them and knows about their Sri Lankan pressures and habits.
The Rise of Mat Pilates and At-Home HIIT Among Sri Lankan Women
The most remarkable change in fitness in Sri Lanka seen in the last two years is women’s burgeoning interest in Mat Pilates and home-based HIIT, especially for women aged 25-45.
Mat Pilates is a low-impact exercise system that uses body weight to strengthen core, improve posture and increase flexibility. All it needs is a yoga mat and a space to lie down. No weights, no jumping, no high-impact movements that put stress on the joints. It doesn’t make much noise, so it can be done in an apartment without disturbing neighbors, and it’s not too tiring, so it can be done after a long, stressful day.
Mat Pilates is a workout that is hard to replicate with any other exercise or workout and it is a great solution for Sri Lankan women who wish to strengthen their core muscles and improve their posture without visiting the gym, especially if they have desk jobs, post-pregnancy recovery, or joint sensitivities. These tangible benefits of posture, increased core strength and stability, diminished lower back pain, and improved body awareness are achieved with regular practice over 8-12 weeks.
HIIT has become a popular alternative to Pilates for women looking for a more intense workout, and it can be done at home. In just 20 minutes, performing squats, lunges, mountain climbers and jump exercises can burn a good amount of calories, enhance cardiovascular fitness, and develop functional strength, all without leaving the confines of a bedroom or living room.
When coupled with a HIIT workout from Mat Pilot two to three times per week and a HIIT workout one to two times per week, Sri Lankan women get a full strength and fitness programme with access to no gym, no high-priced equipment, and less than two hours per week.
How to Find a Good Sri Lankan Online Coach
Less qualified voices have also entered the local fitness market as a result of the rise of fitness content. Not all coaches from Sri Lanka who provide online coaching are knowledgeable in how to do it safely and effectively. How to spot a true good local coach:
Seek out coaches who inquire into your general health, your likes and dislikes and your schedule prior to offering any ideas. If the coach does not find out what you are about, then they’re not coaching you; they’re selling a template.
Look at the meal plan to see if they are using real foods and realistic amounts of Sri Lankan foods. If their first sample meal plan they’ve provided has quinoa and protein shakes, then skip it.
Inquire if they’re certified by a well-known fitness body. Certification does not mean quality; it’s a minimum standard of knowledge.
Check out their client results and testimonials, especially those of the clients from Sri Lanka (with lifestyles similar to yours).
The Bottom Line
Sri Lankan fitness is being nurtured. The old days of global apps and generic content are being replaced by local coaches & content that’s created with us in mind, for our food, climate, and our lives.
Content that’s relevant for your actual lifestyle is always going to beat out content that isn’t. Be it a virtual trainer who tailors your plan around red rice and dhal, a Mat Pilates programme done on your bedroom floor, or a home HIIT programme for a small apartment in Colombo, fitness content that fits into your real life will beat out content that doesn’t.
“The fit schedule that’s best for you is not the most popular one on the planet. It is the one that is created for the life you live.”
Discussion about this post