Peloton announced the results of a recent study in "The Peloton Report: Spring Wellness Trends," which reveals the changes in habits and perceptions around fitness and wellness during the transition between winter and spring. Peloton’s goal with this collective research is to better understand people’s motivators and challenges in the pursuit of fitness and wellness and gain insights into how fitness impacts us physically, mentally, and socially.
The responses show that spring’s longer days and warmer temperatures propels Americans to prioritize their flexibility, nutrition, mental health, and physical appearance. In addition, spring has a defining impact on how people budget their time and money, as well as what activities they engage in, whether by themselves, with friends and family, or even with their pet. “Our intention with this spring study was to shed light on the collective shift in mindset and behavior around wellness that unfolds during the current seasonal weather transition,” says Ali Sher, senior director of Consumer Strategy & Insights at Peloton. “We are committed to deepening our understanding of Americans' relationship to fitness so we can continue to create experiences that empower people to be the best version of themselves anywhere, anytime.”
Overall, the latest research study found that spring serves as a reset, spurring Americans to prioritize goal setting, redefine what qualifies as a workout, and leverage technology as a means of motivation. Below are a few key findings.
Spring encourages mindset shifts in fitness and wellness priorities
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77% of respondents pay more attention to their physical appearance
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7-in-10 respondents indicate they pay more attention to their mental health
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Two-thirds of Americans believe it’s important to improve their sex life/endurance
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Women are more motivated to engage in fitness and physical activities to feel confident in a swimsuit than men (57% F vs 44% M), while men are much more likely to be motivated by training for an athletic event (34% M vs 21% F)
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Hispanic/Latinx and Black/African Americans exercise more frequently (4+ times per week) at higher rates of change than the General Population (+52% & +65% vs +45%)
As the weather warms, Americans are redefining what qualifies as a workout
Among some of the most popular spring wellness trends, respondents are most likely to regularly participate in or have tried mobility training and cozy cardio (i.e. low-impact walking in place).
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Mobility Training: 36% General Population, 44% Hispanic/Latinx, 42% Black/African Americans
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Cozy Cardio: 34% General Population, 46% Hispanic/Latinx, 47% Black/African Americans.
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Gen Z is more likely than Baby Boomers to habit stack wellness routines, such as meditating while wearing a facial mask (43% Gen Z vs. 10% Baby Boomers).
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Nearly 3 in 4 respondents agree that both sex (72%) and household chores (76%) are workouts.
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Among those who indicated chores are a workout, mowing the lawn/yard work (82%), vacuuming (63%), gardening (62%), and unloading groceries (52%) are most often considered a workout, while dishes (23%), taking out the trash (31%), doing laundry (36%), and tidying up (40%) are less so.
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Women are much more likely to consider household chores a workout than men (85% F vs. 67% M).
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71% of women consider vacuuming a workout, compared to 52% of men.
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65% of women consider gardening a workout, compared to 57% of men.
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44% of women consider tidying up a workout, compared to 33% of men.
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39% of women consider doing laundry a workout, compared to 33% of men.
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Technology serves as a fitness motivator for many, but some still hold skepticism
Fitness-related technology has a clear impact on the wellness routines of individuals across generations, ethnicities, and genders. Among those surveyed, most are in agreement that technology makes it easier to track progress toward fitness goals (63%), helps them reach their fitness goals more efficiently (49%), and improves their health (47%).
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Nearly half (44%) agree technology motivated them to exercise when they didn’t want to.
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Nearly a third (29%) agree technology is the only thing that holds them accountable to their fitness goals.
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Hispanic/Latinx (41%) and Black/African Americans (40%) are more likely to agree that technology is the only thing holding them accountable to reach their fitness goals versus the General Population (29%).
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Men are more likely than women to utilize data and tech to efficiently reach their fitness goals - but they are also more likely to find technology distracting.
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Men are more in agreement than women that tech helps them more efficiently reach their fitness goals (51% M vs 46% F) and integrating tech into their fitness routines has improved their health (50% M vs 44% F).
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Men are four times as likely as women to find technology’s ability to track activity and progress towards wellness goals to be distracting (37% M vs. 9% F).
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Younger generations are more likely to credit technology with improving their health
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Gen Z (65%) is much more likely than Baby Boomers (27%) to agree that technology has improved their health, helped them reach their fitness goals more efficiently (65% Gen Z vs. 32% Boomers), and motivated them to exercise (59% Gen Z vs. 27% Baby Boomers).
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