When the body calls for exercise – FIBO Ambassador Prof. Dr. Thomas Wessinghage
Bar ohne Namen
Entschlossen verweigert sich Savage, der Bar einen Namen zu geben. Stattdessen sind drei klassische Design-Symbole das Logo der Trinkstätte in Dalston: ein gelbes Quadrat, ein rotes Viereck, ein blauer Kreis. Am meisten wurmt den sympathischen Franzosen dabei, dass es kein Gelbes-Dreieck-Emoji gibt. Das erschwert auf komische Weise die Kommunikation. Der Instagram Account lautet: a_bar_with_shapes-for_a_name und anderenorts tauchen die Begriffe ‘Savage Bar’ oder eben ‚Bauhaus Bar‘ auf.
Für den BCB bringt Savage nun sein Barkonzept mit und mixt für uns mit Unterstützung von Russian Standard Vodka an der perfekten Bar dazu.
He is a doctor, 1st Chairman of the DSSV, Employers' Association of German Fitness and Health Facilities, and a former competitive athlete with an enduring German record in the 1500 metres. We are pleased to welcome him to the ranks of our FIBO Ambassadors: Prof. Dr. Thomas Wessinghage. A conversation about the German fitness market, exercise in everyday life and the big milestones in the life of an athlete.
FIBO: Only in August did the DSSV publish its semi-annual study. With pleasing results. According to your assessment, how will the fitness market develop in the coming years?
Prof Dr Wessinghage: Positive, for sure. We are experiencing an upswing. We now have figures for the first half of 2023 and know that we have improved significantly again in this period. Currently, there are about 10.7 million Germans who are organised in the studios. That is about 13% of the German population. We are therefore steadily approaching the figures of the pre-Corona period. This is very remarkable, because at the same time Germany is being reprimanded by the WHO for poor physical activity behaviour. Things are continuing to look up for us. That's for sure.
(c) FIBO / RX Austria & Germany
FIBO: What advice do you give people to move more in everyday life?
Prof Dr Wessinghage: I have always been attributed with being a disciplined athlete, and I live out this discipline in a way that it doesn’t become a burden or that I even have to check my calendar, and it says: training at eleven o’clock today. Instead, the discipline has transformed into a sense of living, a physical awareness. This means that I look forward to every day when I can move. My body is delighted. I also take pleasure in the subsequent slight tiredness after I’ve completed my routine. That is the goal of many people, that through discipline, through the habit of regular exercise, they reach a point where their body signals it on its own when it’s time to move again.
FIBO: How do they keep fit and healthy in everyday life?
Prof Dr Wessinghage: I was a competitive athlete and trained professionally for 20 years of my life. So it was easy for me to keep up this intensive training in the decades that followed, even if it was somewhat reduced to the demands of a working older person. Now, I train five to six times a week, usually three times running and three times cycling for one hour each. Of course, I also do a bit of strength training in my own little fitness area at home.
FIBO: What has been your biggest milestone?
Prof Dr Wessinghage: In my sporting career, there were some races that I remember particularly fondly. For example, in 1982 I became European champion in the 5000 metres, and in 1980 I ran a German record in the 1500 metres that still stands today. Of course, I have fond memories of these races, but also of many others. But above all, I am still grateful today for the camaraderie and fairness I experienced for years in the group of the world's best middle distance runners.
Campaign for more exercise: #BEACTIVE DAY kicks off the European Week of Sport
Under the motto "Move more together", the Europe-wide campaign of EuropeActive and its national partner associations such as the DSSV has set itself the goal of promoting the fun of exercise and communicating the importance of fitness for health. From 23 September 2023, all those interested in training are invited to take part in one of the now more than 700 events in German fitness studios.
Find out where the action is happening: www.beactive-day.de
