Community, Preventive Health & GLP-1s Will Drive the Future of Fitness, Execs Say

Industry leaders pointed to fitness’ ability to drive stronger healthcare and social wellness outcomes as key levers for the industry’s future. The rise of GLP-1s offers another opportunity, they said

The role of fitness brands is transcending the siloed role of exercise, as holistic approaches and cross-sector partnerships bring in healthcare, community building and more into facilities.

At this year’s ATN Innovation Summit, leaders across fitness and wellness discussed how the industry is adapting to new approaches to health care, including the rise of members using GLP-1s and a public increasingly seeking community-building in the midst of a loneliness epidemic directly contributing to adverse health outcomes.

AltaDX executive chairman Al Noshirvani sat down for a panel with YMCA of the USA chief operating officer Greg Waibel; vice president, diabetes prevention at the American Diabetes Association (ADA) Charlene Wallace; and CEO of both Welld Health & ACAC Fitness & Wellness Chris Craytor, to discuss how community-based settings are key factors in preventive health outside of the doctor’s office in an era of GLP-1s and heightened obesity awareness.

Meanwhile, to understand how GLP-1s are reshaping the industry, AltaDX chief customer officer Tara Levitt spoke with Daxko chief sales officer Nick Thornton, Thrive chief operating officer Kiersten Fitzgerald and New York Sports Club digital marketing manager Aaliyah Picanso.

Both panels underscored how fitness is becoming integrated into preventative health.

“Health doesn’t happen in the doctor’s office…we know that it’s more than just healthcare providers that need to provide this way of improving our health and improving our fitness level, our nutrition,” said Wallace of the ADA.

Fitness as a Community, Preventive Health Booster

Waibel explained that the YMCA has been committed to a 10-year plan to address social isolation and loneliness, especially as a community-based organization. 

“Achievement, relationship and belonging. We know that all of those are drivers of health outcomes,” he said. “As a community-based organization, we’re here to help people full-stop.”

Craytor of Welld Health, a software platform, and the operator ACAC Fitness & Wellness, pointed to Health & Fitness Association data showing people are seven times more likely to go to a health club than a doctor.

“The more people that are physically fit and active, the more it benefits the industry as a whole,” Craytor said during the panel.

For Wallace, a big part of that effort comes from making spaces welcoming for people of all backgrounds, bodies and abilities. That’s why the ADA works with organizations like the YMCA to create programs for people with diabetes, or referral channels between healthcare providers and facilities.

“Profit isn’t the motive; it’s really the health outcomes for people,” Waibel added.

The GLP-1 Opportunity

Building community around fitness has only emerged as more important for those taking GLP-1s, the panelists noted.

“When you take a GLP-1 or other therapies, it’s not just about exercise or the prescription, it’s about nutrition, community,” said Thrive’s Fitzgerald.

She thinks that the weight-loss drugs are going to cause a long-term shift for the industry — and brands will be quick to fall behind if they don’t adapt to this new crop of members.

“Health care is heavily dependent on fitness being an integrated part in this therapy,” she explained. 

“It’s universally going into every segment of the industry,” added Daxko’s Thornton. He’s observed high demand for gym operators that have GLP-1 specific programs.

“We’re seeing people who’ve taken the drugs and are now actually more interested in joining because they’ve seen some positive results in the reinforcement,” Craytor said.

That’s certainly the case for a major brand like New York Sports Club. Picanso has already taken note of a new type of member entering the gym: members driven by their GLP-1 prescriptions to exercise.

“GLP-1 users are very interesting because they’ve either started a fitness journey and it failed, or they’re newly immersing into this journey and saying, ‘Hey, I want to start with GLP-1s to kick off the weight loss,’ and then also through discussions with their providers, they’re influenced to start a routine,” she explained. “So they’re trying to get into the gym more to avoid losing that muscle mass that can be associated with the GLP-1. It really is a lifestyle that begins to form.”

NYSC has already begun to leverage that shift, partnering with Thrive to offer members access to its personalized plans, including biomarker testing, longevity care, hormone balance and weight-loss treatment like GLP-1s.

“GLP-1s are not fighting the fitness industry. GLP-1s are helping support the fitness industry,” Fitzgerald added.