The building blocks of consistent exercise habits / Myzone

A major new report from Myzone, the global leader in motivation technology for fitness, reveals how motivation becomes habit and how that transformation drives member retention and long-term business growth. The State of Global Exercise Behaviour 2025 uncovers the patterns behind sustained motivation, habit formation and long-term member engagement, showing that longevity is now the most important motivator for today’s exercisers.

The report reveals that long-term health and achievable activity levels are reshaping how and why people stay active. Crucially, it shows that consistency is not a starting point, but the result of behaviours that successfully sustain motivation over time, providing fitness operators with clear, data-backed insight into how to turn motivation into consistent exercise habits and long-term engagement.

Drawing on anonymised and aggregated data from Myzone users across multiple countries, age groups, genders and activity types, the report offers a rare real-world perspective on how exercise fits into everyday life. Rather than focusing on performance outcomes, it examines behavioural patterns such as frequency, routine formation, intensity distribution and social engagement, revealing how long-term adherence is built in practice and how these behaviours translate into measurable member value.

At the centre of the report is the relationship between motivation and consistency. While motivation remains an important starting point, the data shows that it is only when this motivation is channelled into structured, repeatable behaviours that meaningful outcomes are achieved. Myzone users complete an average of 3.5 workouts per week, a level of consistency associated with longer membership duration, improved retention and stronger lifetime value. This reinforces the idea that sustainable engagement is not driven by intensity alone, but by the ability to embed exercise into regular routines.

The report also highlights the importance of achievable effort in maintaining this consistency. Across all users, 87.4 per cent of activity takes place within light-to-moderate intensity ‘Habit Zones’, demonstrating that people are far more likely to sustain exercise when it feels manageable and repeatable. This pattern becomes even more pronounced with age, with users over 60 spending more than 90 per cent of their time in these zones, reflecting a shift towards longevity-focused behaviour where health, routine and repeatability take precedence over performance.

Behavioural patterns across the week further reinforce the role of routine in sustaining motivation. Monday is the most active day globally, suggesting a strong ‘fresh start’ effect that operators can leverage to anchor weekly engagement. Meanwhile, nearly 60 per cent of all workouts take place before midday, indicating that consistent exercisers are more likely to prioritise movement early in the day, embedding it into their routine before competing demands arise. Together, these patterns show that consistency is not accidental, but the result of structured habits that can be designed and supported.

Social connection also plays a significant role in strengthening these behaviours. The report finds that users with ten or more social connections generate 47 per cent more activity than those exercising alone, underlining the importance of community in sustaining motivation and increasing overall engagement levels. As people increasingly seek both physical and social wellbeing, this sense of belonging is a powerful driver of ongoing participation.

For fitness operators, the findings point to an actionable path to driving long-term success. While attracting members may begin with motivation, sustainable growth depends on supporting individuals in turning that motivation into consistent, repeatable behaviours. When motivation is effectively sustained, engagement increases and retention naturally follows. By creating environments that prioritise routine,  support achievable levels of effort and foster meaningful social connections, operators can encourage members to visit more frequently, build stronger habits and stay engaged over the long term.

As consumers increasingly arrive in clubs with their own data from wearable technology, there is also a growing opportunity for operators to align with this behaviour-driven approach. Supporting members to understand their activity, manage effort and build sustainable routines will be critical for individual success and creating measurable improvements in retention and lifetime value.

“This data reveals that showing up regularly is what defines real-world exercise behaviour,” says Jay Worthy, CEO of Myzone. “If the industry wants to keep members engaged, it must prioritise designing for consistency and community. When consistency is supported, motivation follows and exercise becomes something people stick with, not something they struggle to maintain.”

Jason Worthy joined Jörn Watzke, senior director of Garmin Health Globel Sales and Ville Uronen, head of sports partnerships & advocacy, EU, Polar on a panel at EHFF to discuss how data, wearable technology and behaviour change are shaping the future of fitness. 

The State of Global Exercise Behaviour 2025 ultimately shows that lasting engagement is built through the accumulation of small, repeatable actions rather than occasional bursts of intensity. By understanding how motivation becomes habit, and how habit drives retention, the industry has a clear opportunity to design experiences that better support long-term behaviour change and sustainable business growth. 

The full report is available to download free of charge via this link:  https://www.myzone.org/global_exercise_behaviour2025

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