By Erin Phelan
Fitness Industry Council of Canada
Fitness might have been a gamble only a few years ago. Now, it’s a winning bet.
Among operators responding to the Health & Fitness Association’s 2026 Global Survey, median revenue grew 10.7 per cent in 2025, median net membership grew 6.9 per cent, and the median EBITDA margin reached 22.1 per cent. Those are benchmarks from participating operators, not the whole market.
Still, it is a strong hand.
And investors have noticed. They no longer see fitness as a gamble, but as a bet worth backing. Here at home, Apollo-managed funds took a strategic minority stake in GoodLife Group in February, the chain’s first outside equity investment.
The opportunity no longer stops at the gym door. Fitness is showing up where we live, work and travel, crossing into real estate, hospitality, tourism and healthcare. The Global Wellness Institute estimates the wider wellness economy reached US$6.8 trillion in 2014 and projects it will approach US$9.8 trillion by 2029.
That is the broader wellness market, not club revenue, but the scale around us is hard to ignore. If we were holding our cards to our chest — Strength. Recovery. Connection. Longevity. Preventive health — we would have a royal flush.
A report this broad has a few gems hiding below the surface.
Here are five worth a closer look.
1. More members did not automatically mean more profit
We tend to treat membership growth as the clearest sign of a healthy business. HFA’s operator data tells a more interesting story.
The higher-profit half of survey respondents reported median net membership growth of 5.6 per cent, below the 6.9 per cent median overall. Yet their median EBITDA margin was 31.0 per cent, compared with 22.1 per cent overall. Payroll also took a smaller share of revenue.
HFA’s conclusion is worth repeating: stronger financial performance was associated more closely with operating efficiency than with exceptional membership growth alone.
For Canadian operators watching costs rise, the question is: Are we growing a membership base we can serve well and sustain?
2. Community may be one of our strongest retention tools
The HFA report cites ABC Fitness consumer research in which 73 per cent of respondents agreed that being part of a fitness community helps them stay motivated and consistent. One-third said they engage with fitness communities every day. Among Gen Z respondents, 47 per cent said community was the primary reason they stayed committed to fitness.
That’s not Canadian data, but the report’s Canada chapter tells a similar story. Fitness Industry Council of Canada Executive Director Zach Weston describes the health club becoming a social hub, filling a cultural void left by declining nightlife and social clubs among younger Canadians.
Belonging looks different across generations: vibe and inclusion for younger members, trainers and small groups for older ones. It can be a small-group program, an instructor who knows someone’s name or a front-desk team that notices when a regular has been away.
So ask: Does a member feel they belong, or do they simply have access?
We have become very good at making the invitation to join. What happens after someone accepts it deserves just as much attention.
3. Active aging is already filling the quiet hours
Weston identifies active aging and longevity training as a growing opportunity, and the Canada section of the HFA report goes even further. Clubs that introduced joint-friendly programming have successfully monetized traditional daytime “dead zones.” This isn’t a someday opportunity. It’s already paying off.
Weston points to a major urban expansion of reformer Pilates studios in Canada, drawing members across generations by bridging low-impact rehabilitation and premium boutique fitness. In HFA’s U.S. data, Pilates participation grew 28.1 per cent and tai chi 23.4 per cent since 2021. And the American College of Sports Medicine’s 2026 global trends survey moved fitness programs for older adults up to No. 2.
This is more than adding a class labelled “seniors.” Someone returning to exercise after an injury or years away may need a different welcome, qualified instruction and a clear starting point. Their goals may be to get off the floor, carry groceries, lift a grandchild or keep travelling independently.
Those goals deserve thoughtful programming. They can also turn the quietest hours on your schedule into some of the most valuable.
4. Recovery has moved into the mainstream
HFA benchmarking found that 79 per cent of responding facilities offered recovery amenities. In Canada, Weston describes infrared saunas, compression therapy and cold plunges moving from niche biohacking clinics into mainstream clubs.
Does every club need a cold plunge? Of course not. Recovery should begin with the people a facility serves, whether that means a post-training amenity, mobility instruction or support that helps someone return to exercise consistently.
5. Fitness is moving closer to healthcare
Around the world, fitness is being repositioned, in the words of the HFA report, “not as a discretionary amenity but as infrastructure.”
GLP-1 medications are accelerating that shift. In December 2025, the World Health Organization issued its first global guideline on GLP-1 medicines for obesity, recommending they be used as part of comprehensive care rather than on their own.
That is where we come in. An HFA white paper, developed by FTI Consulting, modelled what happens when structured exercise is added to GLP-1 therapy in five countries, including Canada. In every country, it projected fewer cardiovascular events and joint replacements, lower costs, improved survival and a positive return on investment. For Canada, the report projects C$3.5 billion in healthcare savings over the next decade.
In April 2026, Canada became the first G7 country to approve a generic version of semaglutide, and a generic version for weight loss followed in June. As these medications become more affordable, more Canadians will need help protecting their muscle and function.
Weston describes operators reframing gyms as “pre-hab” facilities and registered exercise professionals as healthcare partners. He points to exercise referral pathways that could help people build strength and manage their health before a crisis brings them into the healthcare system.
That opportunity comes with responsibility.
A person referred to exercise needs more than access. They need an appropriate program, credible guidance and confidence that someone understands where they are starting.
FIC continues to advocate for fitness club fees to become eligible under the Medical Expense Tax Credit. If we want more Canadians active, we have to make it easier to begin and possible to continue.
The 2026 HFA Global Report shows an industry with momentum. The gems beneath its headline numbers point to a larger opportunity: to build fitness businesses that are useful not only during a workout, but throughout people’s lives.
We are holding a winning hand. Now we have to play it well.
Fitness Industry Council of Canada (FIC) is the not-for profit trade association that represents the voice of fitness facility operators across Canada. Representing more than 6,000 facilities with more than six-million members nationwide, FIC pursues a legislative agenda in the hope of bettering the fitness industry for both consumers and operators. FIC aims to work with both industry and government to improve the health and physical activity levels of Canadians.
