This report provides an in-depth look at the exercise market in the UK by analysing exercise and fitness trends, consumers’ behaviours and attitudes.
Key Topics Covered in the Report
- The impact of health trends on participation in exercise
- How the market can best serve an ageing population
- The emerging opportunity for nutrition and recovery products
- What AI technology will mean for the way we work out
- How Millennial exercise can close the gender gap
UK Exercise Trends – What’s New?
The large majority of Brits take regular exercise but do so primarily for the good of their health rather than enjoyment of physical activity in itself – in fact, almost three-quarters of exercisers say they sometimes feel it is something they should do rather than want to do.
Although the cost of living crisis remains the principal threat to exercise participation and spending, this ‘health chore’ perception also makes exercise vulnerable to competition from alternative methods of staying well. This is presented most immediately by healthy eating options but potentially by weight-loss drugs in the longer run too.
These threats are primarily to younger people’s activity but can be countered by opportunities to reinforce the positive links between exercise and nutrition, and to lean in to their interest in competitive, gamified and social fitness.
More widely, the greying of the UK’s population structure will create additional opportunities to support the exercise habits of older people, increasingly using the wearables and AI the next generations of seniors will be familiar with and comfortable using.
Meet the Expert Behind the Analysis
This report is written by David Walmsley. David is a research analyst at Mintel focusing on the sport and leisure sectors, which he has covered for more than 15 years. Formerly a journalist with the BBC, Independent News & Media and the SportBusiness Group, he holds an honours degree in International Studies from the University of Birmingham.
Exercise must engage with the wider health and wellbeing market to continue to thrive, by linking with diet and recovery and supporting differing lifestage needs.
David Walmsley
Research Analyst
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Executive Summary
- Opportunities for the exercise market
- Get ready for recovery
- Exercise and diet have strong cross-selling potential
- Make fitness fun again
- Three new exercise experiences
- Market dynamics and outlook
- Living cost crisis threatens many people’s exercise habits
- Graph 1: exercise participation base, by household income, 2025
- Weight-loss drugs could reduce activity among the overweight young
- Graph 2: interest in using injectable weight-loss drugs, 2024
- Find new opportunities in growing grey market
- Graph 3: change in population, by age, 2025-35
- What consumers want and why
- Market is large – but not growing
- Graph 4: participation* in exercise, 2022-25
- Recovery sector can fill the gaps in the workout week
- Graph 5: frequency of exercise participation, 2025
- More people looking for flexibility and strength
- Graph 6: exercise participation, by type of activity, 2022-25
- More younger people are being drawn to the gym
- Graph 7: exercise locations, 2022-25
- Health awareness is at the heart of exercise interests
- Graph 8: exercise behaviours, 2025
- Female exercisers a key target market for AI training
- Graph 9: use of technology in exercise, 2025
- Nutrition can supplement spending in a market dominated by shoes and kit
- Graph 10: exercise spending plans, 2025
- Innovation and marketing
- Competitive socialising as a new form of exercise
- Meet AI Fred: your impersonal trainer
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MARKET DYNAMICS
- Market drivers
- Living-cost pressures show few signs of easing
- Graph 11: perceptions of the cost of living crisis, 2024-25
- Affluent core gives exercise spending some protection
- Graph 12: weekly or more frequent exercise, by household income, 2025
- Market’s middle-income spread has less room for manoeuvre
- Graph 13: exercise participation base, by household income, 2025
- Make exercise an essential to avoid cutting back
- Leisure centre losses
- Declining public provision reduces access to exercise opportunity
- Graph 14: public leisure centre and swimming pool numbers, 2014-2024
- Exercise is part of the health market…
- Graph 15: weight distribution of population, by age, 2022
- …and dominates weight management approaches
- Graph 16: weight management methods used in the last 12 months, 2024
- Pharmaceutical alternatives not yet a threat…
- Graph 17: future interest in weight management methods, 2024
- …but future interest among younger people is strong…
- Graph 18: interest in using injectable weight-loss drugs, 2024
- …creating opportunities as well as threats
- Grey market set for growth
- Graph 19: population projections, 2025-35
- Widen exercise repertoires to help the active old stay healthy and happy
- Embrace technology to make exercise more accessible and fun
- Dial in to smartwatches’ potential to help busy mums stay active
- Graph 20: personal ownership of smartwatches, by age of children in household, 2025
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What Consumers Want and Why
- Frequency of exercise
- Most Brits get some exercise
- Nation sticks to its routine…
- Graph 21: participation* in exercise, 2022-25
- …and is regularly active
- Graph 22: exercise participation, by frequency, 2022-25
- A non-exercise day can be a recovery one
- Graph 23: frequency of exercise participation, 2025
- Make an experience of the recovery regime
- Add variety to strengthen exercise routines
- Graph 24: frequency of exercise participation, by exercise repertoires, 2025
- Frequent exercise gender gap opens among Millennials
- Graph 25: frequent participation* in exercise, by gender, 2025
- Functional fitness can meet mums’ exercise-for-health needs
- Graph 26: parents’ participation in exercise, 2025
- Create network effects to tackle income-based exercise inequalities
- Graph 27: Frequency of exercise participation, by household income, 2025
- Older adults benefit from talking about walking (and other exercise)
- Types of exercise
- Low-impact exercise leads
- More people looking for flexibility and strength
- Graph 28: exercise participation, by type of activity, 2022-25
- Build flexibility for physical and mental health
- Function over form powers rise of strength training
- Graph 29: participation in strength training, by age, 2022 and 2025
- Younger people are walking’s growth demographic
- Graph 30: participation in low-impact exercise, by generation, 2022 and 2025
- Gen Z steps out of its digital bubble
- Exercise locations
- Free locations are most popular
- Exercise comes indoors
- Graph 31: exercise locations, 2022-25
- Gym lads driving recent growth
- Graph 32: exercising in a gym, by age and gender, 2020 and 2025
- Help young people get more fresh air
- Graph 33: exercising outdoors, by age, 2020 and 2025
- Most exercisers work (out) from home
- Graph 34: exercising at home, by age, 2025
- Exercise is a single location issue
- Exercise behaviours
- Brits keep active for the good of their physical – and mental – health
- Graph 35: exeercise behaviours, 2025
- Diet and exercise awareness creates cross-selling opportunity
- Graph 36: exercisers’ health awareness, by activity location, 2025
- A fitness and nutrition concept spans Pilates to plates
- Gym users get the greatest mental health gains from their exercise
- Graph 37: awareness of mental health benefits of exercise, by activity location, 2025
- Longevity incentives keep older exercisers motivated
- Graph 38: feeling that exercise is something I should do rather than want to do, by age, 2025
- Festival fans
- Focus on fun, competition and festivals to slow Millennial participation decline
- Graph 39: interest in new exercise concepts, by generation, 2025
- Space for a festival that doesn’t mind mud
- Exercise technology
- AI training catches up with VR
- Most familiar is most popular in exercise tech
- Graph 40: use of technology in exercise, 2025
- Early adopters drive tech take-up
- Graph 41: use of technology in exercise, by age, 2025
- Target female exercisers for next phase of fitness tech growth
- Graph 42: future interest* in using technology in exercise, by gender, 2025
- AI attracts exercisers’ interest
- AI set to supplant VR as the exercise technology of the future
- Graph 43: future interest* in the use of AI and VR technology in exercise, by generation, 2025
- Exercise spending
- Most exercisers ready to spend on kit…
- Graph 44: exercise spending plans, 2025
- …but young are the biggest buyers
- Graph 45: planned exercise spending, by generation, 2025
- Better off are better able to spend on exercise interests
- Graph 46: exercise spending repertoires, by household income, 2025
- Low-impact exercise is low-spending exercise
- Graph 47: planned exercise spending, by type of exercise done, 2025
- Young women fuel for activity
- Focus on wider wellness to sell sports nutrition to younger female exercisers
- Graph 48: planned spending on sports nutrition products, by age and gender, 2025
- Position recovery products as part of the gym experience first
- Graph 49: planned spending on recovery aids, by exercise location, 2025
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INNOVATION AND MARKETING TRENDS
- Launch activity and innovation
- Competitive socialising gets physical
- AI gym introduces the impersonal trainer
- Big names in sport and fitness are drawn to recovery market’s growth
- Hyrox steps up its training
- London marathon organiser invests in Gen Z run club phenomenon
- Exercise campaign aims to get Britain dancing
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Appendix
- Report scope and definitions
- Market definition
- Abbreviations and terms
- Consumer research methodology
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