HFA Survey: Americans Plan to Spend $60 Billion on Fitness Goals in 2026

A new online survey reveals that 82 million Americans are making fitness and wellness a priority in their New Year’s resolutions for 2026. To support their resolutions, goal-setters plan to spend an estimated $60 billion on health, fitness, and exercise in 2026.

The survey, conducted by Kantar on behalf of HFA, also offered these highlights:

9 out of 10 Americans (89%) say that regular physical activity is an essential part of preventive healthcare

of Americans say that access to fitness facilities is important for following through on their resolutions, including

say it is very important.

of adults plan to set personal goals for the year ahead.

say they intend to focus on health, fitness, and exercise, making it Americans’ most popular resolution focus.

New Year’s resolutions aren’t contractual agreements, of course, but people tend to commit to them longer than January 19, a day many mainstream media outlets have dubbed Quitter’s Day. This designation was invented in 2019 when fitness tracking company Strava released user data that registered a dramatic drop-off in activity. (Strava actually cited January 17, but many Internet commentators ran with the 19th, and some claim Quitter’s Day is the second Friday after New Year’s.)

Other data indicates that people tend to stick to their resolutions far longer. In HFA’s survey, 55% of Americans who included health, fitness, or exercise-related goals in their New Year’s resolutions for 2025 say they fully achieved them. And according to a 2024 Pew Research study, only 13% of respondents said they dropped their resolutions before the end of January.

An Opportunity for the Industry

Healthy habits start with healthy intentions, and HFA’s survey indicates that millions of consumers in the US are ready to spend on fitness and wellness.

“Americans are not just setting fitness goals; they are budgeting for them,” says HFA President and CEO Liz Clark. “This research shows that people increasingly see exercise as an essential investment in their long-term health.”

Here are the top fitness-and-health goals cited by survey respondents:

Build muscle and strength

Improve flexibility, mobility, and posture

Improve mental health

Establish a regular exercise routine

Improve endurance or cardio fitness

“This research shows that people increasingly see exercise as an essential investment in their long-term health.” • Liz Clark

This breakdown shows that people are thinking beyond vague or nonspecific goals, which often lead to dropping their resolutions. According to Forbes, the more specific the resolution, the greater the chance of compliance. This is where fitness professionals can step in and devise programs and routines that provide a clear path to realizing goals. In addition, the variety of training modalities that fit in the categories listed above include a number of options for operators in prioritizing their service propositions and marketing their brand.

As with previous HFA research, and particularly in the 2025 HFA Global Report, this survey reaffirms that an increasing percentage of consumers consider health and wellness a lifestyle priority rather than a discretionary luxury expense. When asked which expenses they would scale back if faced with budget constraints, just 23% of Americans indicated they would reduce spending on fitness or exercise. Dining out (44%), travel (36%), and entertainment (29%) were all more likely to be cut back on.

For the fitness industry, this data is a great way to start the year.

Visit HFA Research

The Kantar/HFA online survey was conducted December 5-16, 2025, among a nationally representative sample of 2,000 US adults aged 18 and older. (The margin of error is ±2 percentage points and higher among subgroups.)

Health & Fitness Business is a publication of

Health & Fitness Business (HFB) is the leading health and fitness industry publication. Published monthly by the Health & Fitness Association (HFA) and distributed free to the industry, HFB offers analysis of the opportunities, challenges, issues, and news that impact the industry.

Subscribe | Advertise | Past Issues | FAQs

70 Fargo Street, Boston, MA 02210

1627 Street NW, Suite 1210, Washington DC, 20006