New research suggests Canada’s fitness industry may be targeting the wrong age group and measuring success the wrong way.
By Erin Phelan
Fitness Industry Council of Canada
Last month, Statistics Canada reported that one in five Canadians is now 65 or older.
We are getting older, Canada. But are we extending both our lifespan and our healthspan?
While Canadians can expect to live approximately 82 years, Statistics Canada reports that our health-adjusted life expectancy — the number of years we can expect to live in good health — was just 66.9 years in 2023. That is 3.5 fewer healthy years than at the 2010–2012 peak.
We may be living longer, but are we living healthier?
The longevity economy is here, and new research suggests the fitness industry may be pitching it to the wrong age group and measuring success the wrong way.
Three studies, including research published just weeks ago, offer important insights into when physical decline begins, how exercise is associated with changes inside aging muscle and why improvements in physical function may matter more than the numbers on a scale.
Physical decline starts earlier than we think
Researchers at Sweden’s Karolinska Institutet followed 427 individuals over 47 years, repeatedly measuring physical capacity from age 16 to 63.
Published in the Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle, the study found that aerobic capacity and muscular endurance generally peaked between ages 26 and 36. By age 63, measured physical capacity had declined between 30 and 48 per cent from peak levels, depending on the measure.
Unlike research comparing different age groups, this study tracked the same individuals for nearly five decades.
Exercise did not eliminate age-related decline, but participants who became physically active in adulthood improved their physical performance by approximately 5 to 10 per cent.
The findings do not mean everyone begins losing strength at 35. They demonstrate that changes in physical capacity can begin decades before people traditionally associate themselves with aging.
If physical decline can begin in our 30s, why does our healthy-aging conversation so often start at 60?
Steps are not the same as training
A July 2026 study published in Nature Aging examined molecular differences in skeletal muscle among younger and older adults with varying fitness levels.
One finding was particularly interesting.
Normally active older adults accumulated nearly as many daily steps as younger participants, yet their muscles demonstrated distinct age-related molecular changes.
The trained older adults presented a different picture.
Approximately half of the age-related differences in gene expression identified by researchers were absent in their muscle tissue. Their molecular profiles more closely resembled those of younger adults in pathways involving cellular respiration and energy metabolism.
The study was small and observational, so it cannot establish cause and effect or demonstrate that exercise reverses biological aging.
However, it highlights an important distinction between accumulating daily movement and maintaining physical fitness through structured training.
Wearables can count steps, and smartphones can track activity. But tracking movement is not the same as providing individualized, progressive exercise programming.
Qualified exercise professionals can deliver something technology alone cannot: personalized coaching, appropriate progression and training that adapts as members’ needs change.
Progress the scale will not show
Perhaps the most immediately relevant findings for fitness operators were published in September 2026 in European Geriatric Medicine.
Researchers examined 126 healthy older adults, averaging 67.7 years of age, who completed a 12-week supervised program combining resistance training with balance, coordination and mobility exercises.
Participants attended two supervised sessions weekly, and researchers evaluated body composition, muscle capacity, functional performance, and pain and quality of life.
More than 80 per cent improved their functional performance, despite relatively little change in muscle capacity or body composition.
Participants demonstrated improvements in measures including chair-stand performance, walking speed and mobility.
Consider a member who completes three months of training. Their weight remains unchanged, and their body composition scan looks almost identical.
But they can rise from a chair more easily, walk with greater confidence and perform everyday tasks more efficiently.
If the facility only measures weight and body composition, that progress may go unrecognized.
The study did not measure membership retention, and without a control group, researchers could not attribute every improvement to exercise. Nevertheless, it raises an important business question.
How many meaningful improvements are we missing because we are measuring the wrong things?
Three opportunities for Canadian fitness businesses
1. Reach the overlooked 35-to-55 market
These Canadians may not identify with active-aging programs, but their training decisions today can influence their physical capacity for decades to come.
A 2025 systematic review involving more than 70,000 older adults found that approximately 19 per cent had sarcopenia, a progressive muscle condition associated with declining strength, mobility and physical function. The international findings reinforce why preserving muscle health needs to become a priority long before retirement.
Whether members are navigating perimenopause, returning to exercise after years of inactivity or working to preserve muscle during weight loss, the conversation needs to move beyond appearance.
Fitness operators have an opportunity to position strength training as an investment in long-term health, mobility and independence.
We should not wait until people begin losing physical function to start selling the benefits of preserving it.
2. Measure function, not just physical transformation
The September 2026 European Geriatric Medicine study found that 80.2 per cent of older adults improved their functional performance following a 12-week supervised exercise program, even though muscle capacity and body composition changed relatively little.
For fitness operators, this reinforces the value of measuring functional performance alongside traditional metrics. Assessments such as sit-to-stand tests, walking speed, balance and grip strength can help demonstrate progress that the scale cannot capture.
Regular assessments and clear communication of results could strengthen member engagement and provide meaningful reasons to continue training.
3. Demonstrate the value of qualified exercise professionals
The Nature Aging findings highlight why structured training deserves attention alongside everyday physical activity.
Fitness facilities can provide evidence-informed programming, individualized coaching and progressive exercise that supports strength, cardiovascular fitness and mobility.
Demonstrating meaningful functional outcomes could also strengthen partnerships with healthcare providers and support the Fitness Industry Council of Canada’s advocacy for greater recognition of physical activity in preventative healthcare, including making fitness memberships eligible medical expenses.
The future of fitness is bigger than the mirror
The longevity economy is not exclusively about older adults. It includes the 35-year-old building strength, the 50-year-old preserving physical capacity and the 75-year-old determined to remain independent.
These studies reinforce an opportunity for Canada’s fitness industry to rethink how we communicate the value of exercise, measure results and engage members throughout their lives.
The next frontier in fitness is not simply measuring what the body looks like. It is measuring what the body can do and how long it can keep doing it.
The longevity pitch starts at 35, but the opportunity lasts a lifetime.
Research and Sources
- Westerståhl, M., et al. (2025). Rise and Fall of Physical Capacity in a General Population: A 47-Year Longitudinal Study.Journal of Cachexia, Sarcopenia and Muscle.
https://doi.org/10.1002/jcsm.70134 - Janssens, G. E., et al. (2026). Delayed molecular aging, preservation of energy metabolism and enhanced exercise response in exercise-trained human muscle. Nature Aging.
https://doi.org/10.1038/s43587-026-01150-x - Matko, Š., et al. (2026). Multidomain changes in clinical outcomes after 12 weeks of resistance-based exercise training in healthy older adults: a four-domain framework for identifying non-responders. European Geriatric Medicine.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s41999-026-01614-8 - Statistics Canada. (2026). Health-adjusted life expectancy in Canada.
- Statistics Canada. (2026). Canada’s population estimates: Age and gender, July 1, 2026.
- Prevalence and Factors Associated with Sarcopenia in Older Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (2025). Gerontology.
https://karger.com/ger/article/72/2/110/940723/Prevalence-and-Factors-Associated-with-Sarcopenia
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.
