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Taiwan Sporting Goods Manufacturers Association
Happy Aging in social sports groups are more and more
developed and different. The role of doing sports turn
out to be more complex. The fun is not limited to weight
loss and smaller waist. Speed, records, knowledge and
role-playing mean more on this stage. Usually when the
Happy Aging sports group enter the second stage, they
are not easily frustrated by persistence and solitude. The
frequency of doing sports become stable and high.
On the third stage, the Happy Aging joggers are the
senior members in the sports club. No matter their sports
capability or physical condition actually reach the level of
amateur athletes. On this stage, the Happy Aging sports
group do not aim at health and weight loss. It is not the
reason that they cannot do it but they have reached the
targets. For them on the stage is to act as a senior role
to instruct new members to do sports and share their
experiences and knowledge to choose sports products.
These roles become more important and meaningful. At
this moment, it is more difficult to ask them to quit doing
sport than to ask them to continue it. Thus, many club
members would ask themselves to act as an index or a
model. They are doing sports not only for themselves.
On this stage, for the Happy Aging, they want to pursue
a leading position to be followed by others, they would
need more challenging activities. If they simply want
to keep fit and healthy, these will not keep them to
maintain such a social position. They want to participate
in the large-scale sports events to gain experiences and
records which will keep them to maintain their social
confidence and reliance. They usually start to take part
in the competitions and arrange their daily schedules
accordingly no matter they are domestic activities or
foreign sports events which might be more important in
their annual tours.
IEK conducts this research to know the personal progress
and experiences of the Happy Aging sports group in
Taiwan. Though from the start of investigating the
users, the motive of doing sports is to improve health
conditions and lose weight. However, in fact, what
supports the Happy Aging sports group to continue it and
they become professionals is not health and weight loss.
Therefore, to promote the sports products which feature
health and weight loss do not really satisfy the vital
demands of the Happy Aging sports group. Though in
the interviews, they usually deny that they do not care for
their sports records or competitions. In the contrary, they
do confirm their request for a healthy life. In fact, from the
social process of the Happy Aging sports group and their
changing social roles, sports do bring a sense of social
achievement to make them feel confident and respected.
Furthermore, they get the momentum to continue doing
sports.