Fitness is increasingly recognised as an important part of total wellbeing. The resulting expansion in the number of people engaging in fitness (from here on: fitness population) has brought with it a diversifying demand and range of fitness formats.
Fitness consumers have a range of goals they want to achieve through fitness. Support for fitness consumers to achieve these goals should be tailored to the individual, taking into account factors such as age, body shape, exercise experience and lifestyle.
Companies and brands must listen to individual fitness and wellness needs to offer practical fitness solutions and systems.
Key Points Covered in this Report
- Consumers’ exercise and health maintenance habits, plus attitudes to personal state of health
- Current use of goods/services for exercise and health maintenance, as well as motivations and barriers to their use
- Benefits beyond physical health (eg mental health, self-confidence, appearance) and how these link to motivation, in the context of total wellbeing
- How consumers’ lifestyles and values shape their attitudes to fitness
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Executive summary
- Overview
- Key points covered in this Report
- Scope and purpose of this Report
- Global market overview and trends
- Fitness as a concept is expanding thanks to a larger fitness population and diversifying demand
- Four global trends driving the fitness market
- Overview of the Japanese market and consumers
- Four important trends in Japan’s fitness market
- Four consumer attitudes to know
- Three keys to unlock Japanese consumers’ fitness goals and satisfaction
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Global market overview
- Fitness is a trending lifestyle
- Graph 1: wellness economy market size, by sector, 2019-2023
- A growing global health crisis
- Cost of living crisis widens fitness and health disparities
- Graph 2: financial comparison to a year ago, 2024
- Economic disparities in fitness link to deterioration in mental health
- Graph 3: actions to relieve stress, 2024
- Challenges in how to make fitness a habit and boost its benefits
- Graph 4: key factors driving consumer behaviour around Wellbeing, % agree*, September 2024
- Widening target customer base for fitness is diversifying fitness formats
- Gyms are a popular fitness choice for consumers across the financial spectrum
- A digital boost to the fitness experience
- It’s not just about fitness as a good concept, but also practical ways to get people involved
- Graph 5: reasons for not exercising, 2023
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Global trends
- Four factors driving the fitness market
- 1. Different strokes for different folks in fitness
- The best workouts are easy to keep up and fit within an existing lifestyle
- Graph 6: types of exercise done in the last 12 months, 2023
- Fitness gets flexible in form and content to fit around consumers
- Catering for changing fitness needs at different stages of life
- How brands are tailoring support to lifestage-specific fitness needs
- Making an exercise buddy makes the gym more inviting
- Graph 7: attitudes towards exercise and health and fitness clubs, 2024
- Lowering the threshold to stepping foot in a gym
- Demand for inclusive fitness spaces
- 2. Fitness that isn’t bound by time or place
- Time and space constraints are significant barriers to exercise
- A satisfying workout even with at-home limitations
- Small space solutions for home exercise
- Power of technology to make immersive full throttle home workouts a reality
- Making the most of nearby outdoor spaces to get the body moving
- Fit a satisfying workout into spare moments anywhere and anytime
- As prices stay high, gyms continue to offer a sanctuary for exercise and fitness
- 3. Fitness is getting more varied and more fun
- Key to alleviating boredom in exercise is to increase variety
- Graph 8: attitudes and behaviours toward exercise, 2023
- Increasing attention on comprehensive health benefits
- Graph 9: reasons for exercising, 2023
- Exercise that’s moderately intense but a whole lot of fun will deliver a big hit of satisfaction
- Fitness to feel the fun in movement
- Technology doubles engagement and satisfaction with fitness
- Graph 10: behaviours towards health and fitness clubs, 2024
- How tech is driving personalisation, gamification and social connections in fitness
- 4. Fitness for mental health and happiness
- Mental health and wellbeing is an increasing priority
- Graph 11: attitudes and behaviours toward exercise, 2023
- Stress relief and mental health as a primary focus for fitness
- Synergy between group fitness and wellbeing
- Encouraging healthy habits in every part of life to improve overall wellbeing
- An optimised metabolism contributes to total wellbeing with a fundamental boosts to physical health
- How brands are using a science-based approach to total wellbeing
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Japanese market overview
- Four important trends in Japan’s fitness market
- 1. Growing momentum in healthy habits for the body and the mind
- Growing momentum for active engagement in physical and mental health in Japan
- Graph 12: motivations to live a healthy lifestyle, 2025
- Awareness of physical and mental health is showing up in everyday behaviours and habits
- Tools and support for making health and movement a habit
- How brands are helping consumers take care of the body and mind as part of daily life
- 2. Spread of 24-hour low-cost fitness gyms
- 24-hour budget gyms improve the value for money of staying fit
- Japan’s 24-hour gyms offering accessible, satisfying workouts at an affordable price
- 3. Emergence of gyms designed for women-specific needs
- Women’s only gyms offer a space for women to enjoy a workout with confidence
- Graph 13: women’s activities for beauty, 2023
- Women’s only gyms catering to body, health and training needs
- 4. Holistic wellness ideas get the stamp of approval from both society and business
- Recognition of the social and business value in health and wellness
- How different industries are promoting health and wellness
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Japanese consumer insights
- Four consumer attitudes to know
- Japanese consumers are struggling to make exercise a habit
- Lack of exercise is rampant among Japanese consumers
- Graph 14: presence of exercise habits*, 2022 vs 2024
- Post-COVID lifestyle changes see a decline in routine exercise for youngest and oldest men
- Graph 15: presence of exercise habit* among men, by age, 2022
- Graph 16: presence of exercise habit* among men, by age, 2024
- Women at prime working age are also experiencing a decline in exercise habits due to lifestyle changes in the post-COVID era
- Graph 17: presence of exercise habit* among women, by age, 2022
- Graph 18: presence of exercise habit* among women, by age, 2024
- Consumers living with children find it difficult to secure time and energy for regular exercise
- Graph 19: presence of exercise habit*, by household composition, 2024
- Graph 20: presence of exercise habit*, by age of children in household, 2024
- Consumers with an exercise habit are stoic… but many find their results unsatisfactory
- Fitness satisfaction is low even among consumers who exercise regularly
- Graph 21: attitude regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by presence of an exercise habit, 2024
- Consumers with a regular exercise routine are inherently health conscious and do not neglect other healthy habits
- Graph 22: health management practices/measures aside from exercise, by presence of an exercise habit, 2024
- Quite a few consumers are not enamoured with fitness despite exercising regularly
- Graph 23: select attitudes regarding one’s state of health and fitness* among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Keeping up with exercise necessitates compromise with time, money and space constraints
- Graph 24: select attitudes regarding one’s state of health and fitness* among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Consumers who don’t exercise regularly are missing the discipline to get moving
- Graph 25: select attitudes regarding one’s state of health and fitness* among consumers who do not have an exercise habit, 2024
- Consumers without an exercise habit don’t like to set aside money, time or space for fitness
- Graph 26: select attitudes regarding one’s state of health and fitness* among consumers who do not have an exercise habit, 2024
- Women are markedly more aware than men about diet and nutrition
- Graph 27: men with an exercise habit – health management practices/measures aside from exercise*, by age, 2024
- Graph 28: women with an exercise habit – health management practices/measures aside from exercise*, by age, 2024
- It’s not just food: women are more likely than men to consider health throughout everyday life
- Graph 29: men with an exercise habit – health management practices/measures aside from exercise, by age, 2024
- Graph 30: women with an exercise habit – health management practices/measures aside from exercise, by age, 2024
- Only men in their 20s have high levels of both health confidence and satisfaction
- Graph 31: men with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- Graph 32: women with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- Women are less likely to enjoy exercise; 20-something women are particularly less convinced by its fun and benefits
- Graph 33: men with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- Graph 34: women with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- 20s-40s are the busiest time of life: these consumers struggle to secure the money, time and space to engage in regular exercise
- Graph 35: men with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- Graph 36: women with an exercise habit – select attitude and expectations regarding one’s state of health and fitness*, by age, 2024
- Consumers who enjoy exercise are more health-conscious
- Graph 37: health management practices/measures aside from exercise among consumers with an exercise habit, by whether they find exercise fun, 2024
- Consumers who enjoy exercise feel good about their health
- Graph 38: attitude regarding one’s state of health and fitness, by enjoyment of exercise among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Fitness needs to take minimal time, space, equipment and money if consumers are going to stick with it
- Consumers’ preferred exercises need minimal equipment and aren’t limited by location
- Graph 39: exercise/physical activities engaged in on a regular basis among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Walking is a standard choice for all ages and genders, but it’s absolutely staple among women
- Graph 40: consumers with an exercise habit who walk regularly, by age and gender, 2024
- Women of all ages do regular stretching; muscle building is mainly done by young men
- Graph 41: exercise/physical activities engaged in on a regular basis among consumers with an exercise habit, by age and gender, 2024
- Running is the fitness style of choice for a subset of men under 50
- Graph 42: exercise/physical activities engaged in on a regular basis among consumers with an exercise habit, by age and gender, 2024
- Consumers who do more strenuous exercises than walking also tend to participate in more than one form of fitness
- Graph 43: other exercises that consumers who regularly do select exercises engage with at least once a week, 2024
- A huge amount of exercise takes place at home with no equipment
- Graph 44: exercise location/settings among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Majority of consumers who strength train workout at home, avoiding extra money or time expenses
- Graph 45: exercise location/settings among consumers who regularly engage in strength training, 2024
- Preferences for solo exercise styles
- Graph 46: select attitudes concerning health and fitness among consumers with an exercise habit, 2024
- Graph 47: select attitudes concerning health and fitness, by exercise engaged in regularly, 2024
- High intensity workouts help consumers feel the effects and a taste of satisfaction
- Consumers who strength train and run feel good about their fitness
- Graph 48: select attitudes concerning health and fitness, by exercise engaged in regularly, 2024
- High intensity gets fitness results in strength training and running
- Graph 49: health management practices/measures aside from exercise, by select exercise engaged in regularly, 2024
- Most consumers who strength train or run find exercise fun
- Graph 50: select attitudes concerning health and fitness, by exercise engaged in regularly, 2024
- Aligning with individual needs enhances exercise results and satisfaction
- Engaging in personalised exercises improves satisfaction
- Graph 51: select attitudes concerning health and fitness among consumers with an exercise habit, by gender, 2024
- Graph 52: select attitudes concerning health and fitness among consumers with an exercise habit, by exercise engaged in, 2024
- Healthy body, healthy mind for a healthy everyday life
- Many consumers who exercise regularly recognise its mental health benefits
- Graph 53: select attitudes concerning health and fitness, by presence of exercise habits, 2024
- Women are more likely to see the positive mental effects of exercise
- Graph 54: select attitudes concerning health and fitness among men with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Graph 55: select attitudes concerning health and fitness among women with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Consumers’ main goal for fitness is to boost everyday vitality
- Graph 56: fitness goals/motivations, by presence of exercise habit, 2024
- Women are keen on maintaining fitness as they age
- Graph 57: fitness goals/motivations among men with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Graph 58: fitness goals/motivations among women with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- It’s not only young women who want to feel confident in their appearance
- Graph 59: fitness goals/motivations among men with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Graph 60: fitness goals/motivations among women with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Women aged 30+ engage in fitness for stress relief
- Graph 61: fitness goals/motivations among men with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Graph 62: fitness goals/motivations among women with an exercise habit, by age, 2024
- Consumers who enjoy exercise are confident in its effects and benefits
- Graph 63: fitness goals/motivations among consumers with an exercise habit, by enjoyment of exercise, 2024
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Opportunities in the Japanese market
- Three keys to unlock Japanese consumers’ fitness goals and satisfaction
- 1. Improve value for money, time and space in fitness
- Fitness that doesn’t demand a specific time or a place
- Find the opportunities within daily life for fitness
- Convenient tools for exercise that utilise everyday settings and time
- Indulgence and a bonus offer motivation for making exercise a habit
- A workout that’s just right for your fitness level, designed to fit in a break while binge-watching your favourite show
- 2. Exercise must be fun to fulfil and satisfy
- Enjoying exercise fosters a positive attitude, leading to results and satisfaction
- Clearing progressive challenges towards fitness goals can offer consumers a sense of accomplishment and rewards
- Gamification motivates exercise engagement in the spirit of fun and challenge
- Dynamic and fresh workouts enhance the fun and satisfaction in fitness
- Group fitness offers a different kind of fun and appeal to your everyday workout
- 3. Healthy body, healthy mind with fitness and lifestyle support
- Improve fitness habits by considering individual lifestyle and fitness background
- A boost for physical health and beauty also contributes to mental health and wellbeing for 20- and 30-something women
- Help older consumers raise their baseline: it’s not just about physical ability, but also health and quality of life
- Comprehensive health-boosting solutions that fit seamlessly into everyday life
- Make health and fitness progress visible to guide action toward goals
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APPENDIX
- Consumer survey methodology
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