Gen Z are spending more time on their fitness rituals, but this doesn’t mean it’s all they’re doing.
The 1 Insight analyzed three years’ worth of spending patterns and habits by Gen Z members of The 1 loyalty programme, with findings indicating that lifestyle spending grew across every category, whilst ‘active lifestyle’ saw the most growth.
The question is, is Gen Z genuinely health conscious, or does it simply just appear that way? The answer from The 1 Insight cuts both ways. It’s true that the number of people buying health products and services has grown, but the number of alcohol sales has also expanded by 1.5 times.
Gen Z’s Focus on Fitness Services
Gen Z is gradually shifting from products to services. It’s less about buying golf clubs and more about joining one. Gym memberships have grown eightfold and golf club memberships 4.5 times, while sporting goods purchases rose just 1.2 times, a sign that the move from ownership to experience has now reached fitness. Meanwhile, gym memberships grew 8 times.
The 1 Insight views this as a sign of growing commitment, as the younger generation is training and investing in services and monthly subscriptions rather than one-time purchases.
Krungthai Bank identified that the number of its cardholders spending on HYROX, from race entries to spectator tickets globally, grew by 300 percent from January to October 2026, compared with all of 2025. Meanwhile, spending on fitness alone expanded by 25 percent.
There’s a shift across the economy, with people training towards a specific goal whilst progress tracking. This helps explain how the entire fitness ecosystem has become beneficiaries, as spending spreads across coaching, nutrition and even recovery.
Rise of the Hybrid Athlete
KTC’s panel with PUMA Sports (Thailand) and Fitness First Thailand. PUMA shared that the growth of hybrid racing has created a new type of customer, the ‘hybrid athlete.’
These people aim to build endurance, strength, agility and overall performance at the same time, and they look for varied training they can measure. For PUMA, this is changing how people train, what they purchase, and how sports communities grow.
That is showing up in product design. Shoes now need to work for both running and functional training, and clothing needs to breathe, move well and last through long sessions.
There’s Still a Place For Alcoholic Beverages in the Market
The 1 Insight shares that Gen Z is spending across food and drinks categories, with this generation doubling their purchasing of nuts, dried food, and jerky over the past three years. The same shift cis also visible in alternative beverages, including0.0 percent and non-alcoholic options, as well as sugar-free drinks.
As wellness enters the realms of socializing and corners of everyday life, it does not mean that alcohol sales have been discarded completely, as alcohol sales grew by 1.5 times, a limited amount compared to other categories, but growth nonetheless.
Key Takeaway: Health Becomes Part of Everyday Life
The 1 Insight shows that Gen Z has made wellness part of its daily routine without making it the whole picture or cutting socializing out of life. It reflects a carefully curated, balanced lifestyle. This generation has deliberately designed how it wants to live, from the food it chooses to how it unwinds after work and spends its free time.
For brands and businesses, that is a valuable takeaway. The opportunity lies in crafting authentic experiences that meet customers across different verticals, bringing together wellbeing, socializing and fitness, while still leaving room for the occasional glass of wine.
For brands, that means traditional categories like ‘health’ and ‘leisure’ may no longer map neatly onto how this generation actually lives. Understanding the well-balanced blend may be key in acquiring the next generation of customers.
