Germans continue to face ongoing crises that impact their wellbeing and motivation, which creates an opportunity for brands to offer clear, supportive guidance that helps consumers harness exercise for better holistic health.
Exercise Trends in Germany — Current Landscape
Mintel’s exercise trends market research shows that exercise participation among Germans aged between 35 and 54 is on the rise. While younger Germans remain the most engaged exercisers, brands can resonate across life stages. For example, by leveraging motivations to exercise and help 35 to 44-year-olds to relax during a busy life stage and supporting those over 45 to age healthily.
According to Mintel’s Germany exercise trends report, exercisers are eager to invest money in their personal health, seeking solutions tailored to their unique needs. For brands, this presents opportunities to promote services and tools, such as personal coaching or exercise apps, that allow consumers to effectively personalise their exercise routines.
By integrating AI-powered health technology, for example, brands can transform real-time health data into actionable advice, delivering a more customised and impactful exercising experience.
Exercise Trends Statistics
- Exercise Trends in Germany: Germans aged 45 to 54 often navigate life shifts, from children gaining independence to midlife career shifts. For 37% of them, exercising to prevent future health problems becomes a priority, as they aim to prevent chronic conditions and maintaining mobility.
- Market Opportunities Regarding Exercise Trends: Brands can leverage interactive elements, as younger exercisers show higher interest in gamified exercise activities, with 62% of 16 to 34-year-olds expressing interest.
Exercise Trends Market Research — What’s Inside?
Key Topics Analysed in this Report
- Overview of current and future exercise trends in Germany, including holistic health, gamification, health festivals, and exercise technology.
- Impact of multiple crises on exercise behaviours, with a focus on the need for escape and mood boost.
- Age-specific participation rates and exercise motivations.
- Opportunities for brands to engage middle-aged and older demographics.
- Role of technology and AI in personalising exercise routines.
- Consumer spending intentions on exercise-related products.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by Silvia Hondt. Silvia explores and writes about German consumer and market trends in the travel and leisure industry. Before joining Mintel, she worked in sports administration and tourism consulting. With her academic background in tourism management and sports and health sciences, she adds significant knowledge of scientific research to her reports.
Younger Germans exercise the most, but participation among 35 to 55-year-olds is growing. Brands can connect with consumers across lifestyles, for example, by supporting middle-aged adults to age healthily.
Silvia Hondt
Senior Research Analyst
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Opportunities
- Outlook
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OPPORTUNITIES
- Unlock growth by celebrating age inclusivity
- Resonate with growing consumer groups
- Graph 1: participation in exercising, by age, 2022, 2025
- Help Germans integrate exercise across different life stages
- Encourage older Germans to exercise through social connections…
- …and embrace older role models
- Resonate with younger exercisers through interactive gamification
- Help exercisers explore the holistic effects of exercising
- Foster holistic health by encouraging exercise
- Provide guidance for holistic exercise practices
- Help exercisers find their high…
- …inspired by PUMA leveraging the runner’s high
- Make exercise as unique as consumers are
- Leverage personalisation as a selling point
- Unlock the power of AI
- Tap into AI as a game changer for personalised exercise advise
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CONSUMER
- Exercise frequency
- Germans put their health first
- Rising participation is driven by 35-54s
- Graph 2: participation in exercising, by age, 2022, 2025
- Demonstrate how exercising can benefit consumers in different life stages
- The number of daily exercisers is on the rise
- Graph 3: exercise frequency in the last 12 months, 2022, 2025
- Help daily exercisers save time and focus on recovery
- Types of exercise and exercise location
- Embrace different age groups’ shifting exercise types
- Graph 4: types of exercise participated in in the last 12 months, 2025
- Exercisers’ repertoire is declining…
- Graph 5: repertoire of types of exercise participated in, 2022, 2025
- …calling for brands to provide ongoing support
- Consumers shift from home workouts to gym sessions
- Graph 6: exercise location in the last 12 months, 2022, 2025
- Gyms: address growing target groups
- Promote health benefits of strength training to middle-aged exercisers
- Emphasise fun and efficiency to shape the future of exercise
- Reasons to exercise
- Motivate movement: embrace multiple reasons to exercise
- Graph 7: main reasons to exercise in the last 12 months
- Address unique exercise motivations to cater to different age groups
- Graph 8: main reasons to exercise in the last 12 months, by age, 2025
- Educate older exercisers on the evolving needs of the ageing body
- Help younger exercisers reduce stress
- Weight loss drugs are at the forefront
- Bridge the gap between goals and exercise habits
- Graph 9: types of exercise done in the last 12 months, by reasons to exercise, 2025
- Help exercisers reach their goals
- Purchase intentions for exercise-related products and services
- Exercisers are eager to spend money
- Graph 10: purchase intentions for sports goods and services in the next 12 months, 2025
- Promote yourself as trusted health supporter
- adidas as a trusted partner in crime
- Expand offers beyond products and services for muscle growth
- Gyms x interval workouts are a perfect match
- Innovate to inspire spending on health tech
- Attitudes and behaviours
- Health is top of mind for exercisers
- Adapt offers to exercisers’ health needs
- Leverage interest in hormone levels to individualise exercise…
- …inspired by Asana Rebel
- Innovate exercise with new formats…
- Graph 11: behaviour towards exercise trends, 2025
- …and offer the chance to try something new…
- …inspired by the rise of running clubs
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MARKET DRIVERS
- Multiple crises
- High prices still impact lifestyles
- Ongoing price rises in the exercise market
- Graph 12: consumer price index, by exercising categories, 2024-25
- Financial uncertainty drives the need for a break
- Health
- The concept of holistic health
- Regular exercise is essential for holistic health
- Under-25s’ health is at the tipping point
- Graph 13: perception of general health for a person of one’s own age (NET), by age, December 2024
- Graph 14: perception of general health for a person of one’s own age (NET), by age, January 2024
- Times of crisis dampen younger Germans’ motivation
- Boosting health through community
- The elderly face health issues
- Health tech
- Tech increasingly becomes integral to the exercise market
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APPENDIX
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations
- Methodology – consumer research
- Consumer research methodology
- A note on language
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