CHICAGO, IL—January 27, 2021—Although the beginning of the year is often seen as a time when everyone vows to start a new diet or complete a new fitness regimen in a bid to lose weight, a new survey from global fitness brand Les Mills, shows the motivators for exercise have finally changed across the different age groups.

LES MILLS On Demand, the home workout app from the fitness giant, shows that Generation X (ages 41-55) are increasingly looking at the benefits of improving fitness, rather than weight loss as a key motivator for being active. Similarly, Generation Z (ages 25 & younger) and Baby Boomers (ages 56-76) are more motivated by maintaining fitness. In fact, the only age group more motivated by weight-loss, is the Millennial (ages 26-40) category.

The LES MILLS On Demand survey of nearly 9,400 digital fitness users, who work out using the at-home online platform, found that other benefits like stress relief (77%), mental health (77%), improved fitness (76%) and strength building (72%) are bigger motivators than weight loss (51%) or weight maintenance (49%).

With recent research from the brand showing that regular inclusion of programs like the new generation yoga class BODYFLOW contributing to improved sleep quality, an increase in motivation and decrease in tension and anxiety, it makes sense that multiple age groups are turning to exercise and fitness for more than just the aesthetic benefits.

Coupled with the new wave of body positive instructors and social influencers in today’s media culture, it looks like digital fitness has helped shift the focus for fitness in the new age. The LES MILLS On Demand survey also shows that digital fitness is here to stay, with most users intending to continue with digital fitness even when their gym reopens (84%). With blended fitness as one of the key trends emerging in 2021 – people can workout both in studio and online – it means fitness has even more capacity to fit into people’s daily lifestyle now and in the future.

“During the pandemic we’ve seen a widespread awakening to fitness as an important foundation to overall health – one of the rare positive outcomes of COVID-19. This paradigm shift moves beyond aesthetics and sees more people embracing the physical and mental health benefits of fitness,” said Jean-Michel Fournier, CEO of Les Mills Media.

The group fitness expert behind classes such as BODYPUMP and BODYCOMBAT has reported an 800% increase in sign-ups to its LES MILLS On Demand digital fitness platform since January 2020, as hundreds of thousands of new users are using the platform to stay active in the face of COVID-19.

Women are overwhelmingly driving the digital workout trend – dubbed ‘Fitness 2.0’ – with females making up 92% of LES MILLS On Demand users. Meanwhile, the science-backed workouts with options for all ages are also proving a hit with families as more than half of platform users (54%) have children.

“At a time when health is everyone’s top priority, the COVID-19 outbreak accelerated the adoption of Fitness 2.0 – an age where people can work out wherever and whenever they want,” said Jean-Michel Fournier, CEO of Les Mills Media.

Widely considered one of the top ten leading online and on demand fitness offerings on the market (and recently crowned the number one home workout app by USA Today) LES MILLS On Demand enables users to stream, cast or download over 1000 world-leading workouts at home or on the go, including BODYPUMP, BODYCOMBAT, and BORN TO MOVE classes for kids aged 4 to 16. The platform features the most popular Les Mills programs, presented by the world’s best instructors and supported by expert training guides.

For a free 30-day trial and to find out more about LES MILLS On Demand visit www.lesmills.com/ondemand.

About Les Mills

  • Les Mills is the global leader in group fitness, with 20 programs currently available in participating gyms and fitness facilities worldwide. Les Mills programs include the world’s first group exercise resistance training workout BODYPUMP™, BODYCOMBAT™ (martial arts), RPM™ (indoor cycling), LES MILLS GRIT™ (30-minute high-intensity interval training) and the revolutionary immersive cycle experience, THE TRIP™. Each workout is refreshed and updated with new choreography and music every three months.
  • Founded in New Zealand in 1968 by four-time Olympian Les Mills, the company has grown over the past 52 years to become the world-leader group fitness. Les Mills workouts are delivered by 140,000 certified instructors in 20,000 clubs across 100 countries and are available as live, virtual and immersive classes, as well as via the LES MILLS™ On Demand streaming platform.