UK Gyms Are Making Unplugging a Selling Point. Will the US Follow?

From PureGym’s Joy Stroll race to Fitness First’s optional phone-muting tech to Tracy Anderson’s new no-filming policy, operators are making moves as screen fatigue sets in

A walk in the park may not fix everything, but it’s a good start. PureGym, the U.K.’s low-cost gym giant, took its own commissioned research findings and ran with them — literally. 

After data revealed the average U.K. adult scrolls 1.7 miles a week on their phone, the brand decided the most logical response was to invite people to walk that exact distance outside.

The result is Joy Stroll, a branded 1.7-mile guided walk held at Manchester’s Whitworth Park that wrapped last week with sunshine, influencers and “Glowments” stationed along the route for healthy pick-me-ups. The fitness operator enlisted TV personality Chris Hughes for the event.

“We’ve all been there, getting lost in the scroll, but we realized it was time to change the narrative,” Barney Harrison, PureGym’s chief customer and commercial officer, wrote on LinkedIn. “At PureGym, our mission is to help everyone #FeelPureGymGood, and we believe that feeling starts with how you move your body and clear your mind.”

The high-value, low-price (HVLP) operator posted £742 million (~$1 billion) in revenue in 2025 and has been aggressively expanding its U.S. footprint following its acquisition of Blink Fitness.

Putting the phone down may be difficult, but consumers appear ready to do something about it. Phone-free events grew 567% globally between 2024 and 2025, with attendance climbing 121%, according to Eventbrite, and more than half of Americans want to reduce their screen time, according to a YouGov poll. Meanwhile, even wearable giants are pivoting towards a more distraction-free experience.

PureGym isn’t alone in reading the room.

Last month, fellow U.K. operator Fitness First rolled out a chainwide partnership with digital wellness platform Kip, giving members across all 26 clubs the option to mute distracting apps, such as social media or email, via tap-to-activate tags at club entry points.

Stateside, fitness giant Tracy Anderson, whose studio classes count Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez among devotees, recently made headlines after implementing a policy prohibiting non-members from filming in class. The move, Tracy Anderson Method CEO Steven Beltrani told People, was meant to minimize class disruptions and protect privacy, though the change sparked immediate debate among content creators who rely on gym footage for their feeds.