Participation in physical activities such as running and swimming are consumption practices that, together with other actions, order our everyday life. In the case of those who do sports, daily routines are shaped by different habits, such as complementary exercise to maintain performance and healthy eating. Therefore, this recurrent lifestyle associated with the main objective generates a broader temporal experience and its effects and benefits tend to be lasting.

This is one of the findings of a paper by FGV EAESP researchers Benjamin Rosenthal and Eliane Pereira Zamith Brito, published in Marketing Theory. The researchers conducted 25 interviews with 15 runners and 10 swimmers who live in Sao Paulo and have been practicing these activities for over two years. One of the authors also used participant observation in his physical activity practice environment to interpret the interview data.

The authors propose the concept of global rhythms of consumption practices to refer to the integration of consumption habits. Thus, the misalignment of practices is associated with “arrhythmia,” observed in statements made by swimmers and runners who feel irritated, anxious or tired after periods without performing physical activities.

In addition to personal benefit, these practices are related to social engagement. In the case of the two sports in question, belonging to a community of athletes has a direct impact on the experience of practitioners, who report identifying with young, healthy and happy people. The researchers point out that global rhythms can contribute to the literature on the formation of value from recurrent consumption experiences and they may aid understanding of everyday practices in urban spaces.

See the full article here.