A recent survey* by nationwide gym chain The Gym Group revealed that almost half of 18-24 year old Gen Z gym goers choose to exercise in order to support their mental wellbeing, with nearly a third saying that they are motivated to workout to manage stress and help with emotional regulation.
With more people choosing to prioritise exercise for mental wellness, The Gym Group supports Better Health’s Every Mind Matters and Mind Plan. Better Health – Every Mind Matters is a digital self-help resource, delivered by the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), which aims to equip people to protect and improve their mental wellbeing. Their Mind Plan provides NHS-approved tips, advice and helpful reminders that can be made part of a daily routine, and you can choose to follow free email programmes for help with general wellbeing, anxiety or better sleep. Latest statistics show that 2 in 3 people who complete the Every Mind Matters’ ‘Mind Plan’ email programme have measurably better wellbeing than when they started.
In England, nearly 2 million people were in contact with mental health services in 2024 with 1 in 4 adults experiencing at least one diagnosable mental health concern every year. Whilst regular exercise and movement can support with more positive mental wellbeing, it is reported that one quarter of UK adults are still classed as ‘inactive’.
In the first half of 2024, average member visits per month increased by 5% and The Gym Group continues to support people to build regular exercise habits. This January, Mood Boosting workouts have launched on The Gym Group app to further support members exercising for their mental wellbeing. The easy to follow, step-by-step workout routines range from just five to 30 minutes, designed to fit around busy schedules, with a mix of strength and cardio exercises that target the entire body for a healthy endorphins mood boost.
Mental Health Minister, Baroness Merron, said:
Exercise is a great way of improving both our physical and mental health. I encourage everyone to find something they enjoy that gets them moving and to visit the Every Mind Matters site which offers self-help advice, including exercise tips.
Catherine Ferma, Operations Director at The Gym Group said:
It is our founding mission to break down barriers to fitness for all. We know that many of our members use the gym for the positive effects on their mental wellbeing which is supporting campaigns like Every Mind Matters is so important in working towards a happier and healthier nation.
-ENDS-
*The Gym Group Gen Z Survey, September 2024
Unless otherwise stated, fieldwork was conducted via Focaldata’s in-house platform, with API integration to an online panel network. Data collection took place between 2nd August to 5th August 2024, with a total of 2,039 respondents from a nationally representative group of those aged 18 to 24 in the UK completing the survey. Data was weighted by gender and region.
**Department of Health & Social Care
Useful Every Mind Matters links
Website
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/
Every Mind Matters Mind Plan
https://www.nhs.uk/every-mind-matters/mental-wellbeing-tips/your-mind-plan-quiz/
About The Gym Group
The Gym Group was a pioneer of the low-cost gym model and operates over 240 high quality sites with over 900,000 members nationwide. These gyms offer 24/7 opening and flexible, no contract membership. Our gyms have over 60 million visits per annum, score highly on member satisfaction and are consistently rated ‘excellent’ on Trustpilot. The Gym Group is the world’s first gym operator to have its science-based net-zero emission reduction targets validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi).