Fitness participation grew 2,500 percent across five decades

Evidence

In 1960, less than a quarter of Americans claimed to exercise “regularly”; by 1987, that percentage had nearly tripled. In 1972, 1.7 million Americans belonged to a fitness club of some kind. Fast-forward to 2006 and that number is a shocking 42.7 million—that is a growth of 2,500 percent! This has meant large returns for a number of market players: fees on club memberships hovered around 227 million in 1972; by 2023 that revenue topped 33 billion. — The Friends of Attention, Attensity!, 195