New Technogym Study Uncovers Wellness Deficit for Millennials in America

24 Sep 2015, 08:27 AM EDT

Explores Attitudes Towards Heath and Fitness Primarily Driven by
Technology, Data Tracking, Social Engagement and Interactivity

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Technogym, a world leading company supplying fitness and wellness
products, services and solutions, commissioned a nationwide study, The
Wellness Deficit: Millennials and Health in America, looking at the
health and fitness habits and attitudes of 5,000 Millennials, aged 14 to
34.

Dubbed ‘Generation Stress’, Millennials have greater access to wellness
tools than previous generations. However, even with these tools and
technologies that increase awareness of health and fitness issues and
provide methods to more effectively embed exercise into busy lives, just
52% of Millennials rate their overall level of wellness as ‘good’ or
‘excellent.’

Millennials recognize that physical activity is crucial to improving
overall wellbeing and is a fundamental way to reduce stress – with those
that exercise more frequently reporting greater satisfaction in
relationships, happiness in life and overall level of wellness.

Millennials today would like to exercise more frequently, but state they
are often too busy and unable to properly devote the time needed. As a
result of this, there is a growing Wellness Deficit emerging
among Millennials, primarily driven by financial insecurity, poor health
and concerns over their appearance. Struggling to devote time to
exercise, Millennials are generally looking to adopt short and sharp
exercise formats that fit into their everyday busy schedules.

The study provides insight into how Millennials’ habits can impact the
health and fitness industry, including indications that social media has
the power to motivate people to work out more frequently. Technology in
general, and interaction via mobile in particular, becomes a central
theme in overcoming the wellness deficit, and helping Millennials become
more confident, connected and in control when it comes to their wellness
and fitness regimens.

With obesity levels on the rise and increased accessibility of choices
and information around health and fitness, wellness has reached an
interesting crossroads. Nearly 90% of Millennials are aware of the
obesity epidemic and feel something should be done to address it.
Millennials are self-conscious about their own body images, with 62%
worried about being or becoming obese in the future. Millennials
represent the future of wellness and their choices will ultimately
determine how wellness in the US evolves over the next 10 to 20 years
and beyond.

Millennials recognize the importance of wellness and the factors that
contribute to a state of wellbeing. The key benefits of physical
activity include improved health and fitness levels, reduced weight and
lowered stress. Yet this recognition is not translating into behaviors
that serve to actually enhance wellness.

Key findings from the study include:

Wellness Mindset

Both physical health (75%) and body image (70%) are felt to be
important to overall wellbeing – yet only 47% are satisfied with their
physical health and body image
Just half (52%) rate their level of wellness as either ‘good’ or
‘excellent’
62% believe the trend of fitness selfies on social media puts
unrealistic pressure on young people
56% feel more stressed/anxious now than they did 12 months ago
Barriers preventing Millennials from exercising include being too busy
(50%), and lack of motivation (35%)
90% of Millennials typically exercise on average of 4 hours each week,
but like to spend 6 hours

Millennial Preferences

65% think it is important to track and monitor their fitness progress
The benefits of mobile technology include tracking progress wherever
and whenever (72%), tracking progress in one place (48%) and accurate
data (43%) – with 29% believing that it is easy to share progress with
friends and family
39% like to share results of their workout with their friends through
social media
The use of mobile app technology is set to rise from 56% to 74% by
2016, with 40% planning to use wearable technology for fitness purposes
The benefits of group exercise include increased motivation (70%),
more enjoyable sessions (65%) and an opportunity to catch up with
friends (48%)
69% believe physical competitions are a good way to keep fit while
socializing
44% of Millennials believe the traditional gym as we know it today,
will evolve by 2020 – the gym of the future is seen as relaxed,
interactive, customized and fun
77% would like their workout at the gym to be as interactive and fun
as possible
77% think the gym experience should be personalized to meet individual
goals
Health blogs (38%), friends & family (32%), health mobile apps (31%)
and health magazines (31%) are set to be the main sources of
information on health trends in 2016

“Closing the wellness deficit must be a priority not only for
individuals but for entities with a stake in the wellness of the next
generation, whether this be government, education or business,” said
Nerio Alessandri, President and Founder, Technogym. “At Technogym we
have focused on providing innovative products and technologies, and
emphasizing the social aspect of wellness and sport to keep people
engaged, and we will continue to evolve our offerings in these areas as
consumers’ wellness habits change.”

Click
here to download a copy of the full report.

About Technogym

Founded in 1983, Technogym (www.technogym.com)
is the world’s leading international supplier of products, services, and
solutions in the Wellness and Fitness fields. With over 2,200 employees
and 14 branches globally, Technogym exports 90% of its product to 100
countries. More than 65,000 wellness centers and 100,000 private homes
are equipped with Technogym. Technogym was the official supplier for the
last five editions of the Olympic Games: Sydney 2000, Athens 2004, Turin
2006, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and will continue this partnership at
the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Technogym is also a leading
sponsor at the Universal Exposition, Expo 2015 in Milan.

Contacts

M&C Saatchi Sport & Entertainment
Samantha Fink, +1 646 619
2827
samantha.fink@mcsaatchi.com