How Americans prioritize themselves when it comes to fitness

Do it for you — a new study has found three in five Americans are motivated to start a new fitness routine in 2024 to look good for themselves.

The poll of 2,000 U.S. adults revealed, over the next 12 months, people are prioritizing themselves when it comes to their fitness: aiming to lose a certain amount of weight (43%), increasing their general strength (43%) and increasing their general mobility (35%).

But seeing a noticeable difference in the mirror takes time. The average person believes it takes six weeks of a new fitness regime before they can see a physical difference.

And once they’ve seen results in themselves, 54% said it’s “easier” to maintain their routine.

However, 48% were worried about potentially losing the motivation to get fit and 65% believe the motivation to increase their level of physical fitness does actually wane over time.

According to respondents, the motivation to keep going lasts for about four weeks before needing a new push.

The survey, commissioned by Optimum Nutrition and conducted by OnePoll, found a majority of Americans’ diet affects their level of fitness motivation (89%).

Nearly three in 10 (29%) believe they don’t get enough protein in their diet, lacking it either “all the time” (19%) or often (40%).

Gen X felt like they were lacking protein the most out of all generations (35%), compared to millennials (34%), Gen Z (27%) and baby boomers (21%). Plus, over three in five (35%) females don’t think they get enough protein vs. 23% of men.

The average person has two meals per day that don’t include protein, but 61% would be more likely to increase their protein intake in order to help achieve their fitness goals.

As people are reflecting on health and wellness over the next 12 months, the most common experiences that make people feel out of shape include running out of breath often (49%) and trying on clothing that no longer fits (46%).

Over a quarter (29%) said they realized they were out of shape after not being able to walk up a flight of stairs without feeling winded.

Overall, half are optimistic about their fitness futures, believing that their best physical days are still ahead of them.

“Of course it takes time to see a physical difference in ourselves,” said Optimum Nutrition Brand Director Jim Hogan. “But when you first start a new fitness routine, that moment of realization is powerful — it’s an encouragement that what you’re doing is working and the goals you have for yourself are achievable. That’s the sort of motivation people need to keep their fitness habits up.”

TOP 7 FITNESS GOALS PEOPLE HAVE FOR 2024

• Lose a certain amount of weight - 43%
• Increase my general strength - 43%
• Increase my general mobility - 35%
• Gain muscle - 32%
• Body Composition (to lose fat and build muscle) - 26%
• Maintain my current weight - 18%
• Gain a certain amount of weight - 8%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 general population Americans was commissioned by Optimum Nutrition between Jan 4 and Jan 8, 2024. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).