20250418 car free day1

People run and bike through downtown Jakarta during a Car Free Day in 2024. Indonesians are joining the fitness trend in droves, filling up gyms and yoga classes as well as participating in long-distance running events.  (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)

Indonesia's $2.3bn fitness craze has businesses flexing financial muscles

Local and foreign companies cash in as young and old take up sports

JAKARTA -- Sheila Hanifa, a 29-year-old petroleum engineer in Jakarta, began a daily fitness routine during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has been expanding her exercise regimen ever since. 

What started out as casual running in 2021 has evolved into a broader fitness lifestyle, on which Hanifa spends more than 5 million rupiah ($300) monthly -- including for a gym membership, personal training sessions, yoga and Pilates classes, workout apparel and supplements.

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