The industry is chasing wellness money, pushing data and diagnostics, and forgetting the basics that actually help people get healthier
The fitness industry’s obsession with longevity is motivated by money, not making people healthier.
Fitness in the UK has been hovering around 16% penetration for years and is worth £5.9 billion a year.
Wellness and longevity reach more people so there’s more money in it (a whopping £171 billion a year for wellness, according to Statista) and that’s what’s driving the shift.
If you missed it: Oura just launched Health Panels – you pay $99 and, with the help of Quest Diagnostics, you get results for 50 biomarkers (metabolic, cardiovascular, liver, kidney, inflammation) fed straight into your Oura App.
At the same time, Whoop launched Advanced Labs – you can upload past bloodwork or do a fresh panel through the Whoop app. It links lab biomarkers with Whoop’s wearable data (sleep, HRV, activity) and gives clinician-reviewed results and guidance – if that’s something you’re looking for.
Meanwhile, the average person is thinking: “If that’s what it takes, I’ll just crack on with some GLP-1s and T, thanks.” Because that seems far more palatable than becoming the HRV bloke who bores you to tears. It’s all getting way too complicated. Too data-driven. And most people don’t know what to do with the information anyway.
Some people just want to train three days a week, feel good and go home. It doesn’t need to be deeper than that. But it’s starting to feel like none of that counts unless you’re tracking and optimising everything.
Which is nonsense.
Eat less, move more, lift some weights, drink water and limit the booze. That still works.
Why are we distracting everybody from the fundamentals and calling it longevity and wellness? As a sector, I think we’re taking a wrong turn. I’m also not convinced the inputs are driving better outputs.
I don’t even know what the definition of wellness is. It’s so subjective. When I mention longevity to my non-fitness friends, they look at me like: “Wind it in, mate. I’ve only just got into Strava.”
We’ve still got people walking into our gyms saying, “I don’t want to go on the InBody. I just want to come in three days a week and feel better. Don’t tell me my fat is a number. I know it’s too high – that’s why I’m here.”
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to help people live longer, healthier lives. But for most, the best way to do that is:
Eat less sh*t .
Lift some weights (properly)
Go to bed on time.
Connect with friends and family
And CTFO.