Health Farm

-- 59% of Americans don’t plan to renew their gym memberships after Covid-19 pandemic – survey

You can’t blame gym goers. All that huffing and puffing and sliding on and off sweat-soaked exercise machines – find me a better environment for virus propagation and I’ll eat my gym shorts.

A survey published by online broker TD Ameritrade found that 59% of Americans say they don’t plan on renewing their gym memberships once the pandemic is over.

Why an online broker would survey such things is a mystery. Nevertheless, they seemed to do a thorough job, surveying 2,009 adults aged 24 and older.

Survey respondents said they spent around $177 a month (or about $2,124 a year) on things like gym memberships, fitness classes, and personal training.

More than 56% of those surveyed say the pandemic helped them find “more affordable” ways to exercise and live a healthier lifestyle.

An Australian study shows similar sentiments, with of 30% of gym-goers stating that they have no intention of returning to gym facilities. Just over two in five (41%) have either already cancelled or were considering cancelling their gym membership.

But gym goers aren’t about to retire to the couch.

eBay.com sales data tells the story. Between March and April 2020, online sales of fitness equipment increased up to 20 times in some categories compared to the same time frame last year. Over the same period sales of dumbbells increased 1,980%.

Fitness apps are also on the rise, with app downloads growing by 46% worldwide over the first six months of 2020.

Peloton, a proprietary stationary bike and treadmill with on-demand and live-streamed classes, has seen its membership base and engagement rates soar over the past few months. In April, the company broke its previous record for the most participants in a live class when it introduced its “Live From Home” content series: More than 23,000 people joined the first class.