Fitness

Teen attitudes to exercise shape fitness years later

Published

4 weeks ago

May 21, 2026

Teen attitudes to exercise shape fitness years later

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Teenagers who see exercise as fun, social and good for their health are significantly fitter by late adolescence than those driven by competition, pressure or fear of judgement, new research led by Flinders University shows.

Tracking more than 1,000 young people from age 14 to 17, researchers found early attitudes to physical activity strongly predict measurable aerobic fitness three years later.

The national study, using data from the long‑running Raine Study, was led by Flinders University in collaboration with the University of Notre Dame Australia, and has been published in Child: Care, Health and Development journal.

Researchers examined how teenagers’ beliefs about physical activity relate to aerobic fitness in late adolescence, measured using a standard laboratory cycling test at age 17.

The findings show that intrinsic motivations – such as enjoying physical activity, feeling healthy, keeping fit and spending time with friends – consistently matter most between the ages of 14 and 17.

Teenagers who value these factors are significantly fitter at 17 than those motivated primarily by winning, external rewards or pressure from others.

Senior author Associate Professor Mandy Plumb, a clinical exercise physiologist at Flinders University, says the results underline the importance of understanding what genuinely motivates young people.

“When adolescents see physical activity as enjoyable, social and good for their health, they are more likely to develop lasting fitness into later adolescence,” says Associate Professor Plumb, who is based at Flinders’ Rural and Remote Health NT.

Participants reported both how important they believed different outcomes of physical activity were, and how likely they thought those outcomes were to occur, including enjoyment, health benefits and appearance.

While most motivational factors remained relatively stable across adolescence, improving appearance was the only factor that increased in importance for both boys and girls by age 17.

Associate Professor Plumb says this reflects normal adolescent development.

“As teenagers get older, they become more aware of their bodies and how they are perceived by others, which is why appearance becomes more influential in later adolescence,” she says.

The study also identified clear gender differences in how motivation relates to fitness outcomes.

Boys tended to have higher aerobic fitness at 17 when motivated by competition, winning and external rewards.

Girls, by contrast, were fitter when motivated by enjoyment, feeling healthy, weight control and supportive social environments.

Associate Professor Plumb says these findings show youth sport and physical activity programs need to be more targeted.

“One‑size‑fits‑all approaches don’t work, particularly for girls during adolescence,” she says.

The research also highlights the damaging impact of negative social experiences, especially for teenage girls.

Girls who believed others would make fun of them for being physically active were significantly less fit by age 17.

“Fear of judgement can directly reduce participation in physical activity, leading to poorer long‑term fitness outcomes,” says Associate Professor Plumb.

Importantly, the study shows that attitudes formed in early adolescence influence later health outcomes – not just behaviour at the time.

“What teenagers believe about physical activity at 14 continues to shape their fitness several years later,” says Associate Professor Plumb.

The authors say the findings have clear implications for parents, schools, coaches and policymakers.

“Programs that prioritise fun, friendship and feeling healthy may be more effective than those focused on competition or performance alone,” says Associate Professor Plumb.

“Reducing pressure, bullying and overly competitive environments could help more young people stay active throughout adolescence.”

The authors say that schools and community sports organisations are well placed to apply the findings to help reverse declining physical activity levels among teenagers.

The paper, Perceptions of the Likelihood and Importance of Physical Activity Outcomes at 14 Years Affects Physical Fitness at 17 Years by Amanda Timler, Paola Chivers, Helen Parker, Elizabeth Rose, Jocelyn Tan, Beth Hands and Mandy S. Plumb was published in Child: Care, Health and Development journal. DOI: 10.1111/cch.70276

Acknowledgements: The Raine Study Gen2-14 year follow-up received funding from NHMRC (Sly et al., ID 211912), NHMRC Program Grant (Stanley et al.,ID 003209) and The Raine Medical Research Foundation. The Raine Study Gen2-17 year follow-up was funded through a NHMRC Program Grant (Stanley et al., ID 353514).

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Fitness

World Fitness Bodies Release Study Supporting Exercise’s Impact on GLP-1s

Published

6 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

World Fitness Bodies Release Study Supporting Exercise’s Impact on GLP-1s

Fitness trade organizations from the U.S., U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Canada collaborated on a study revealing numerous benefits of an integrated care model that combines weight-loss drugs with exercise, especially strength training

Major international health and fitness organizations have joined forces to study the long-term impact exercise can have on GLP-1 users, with the findings showing optimistic results.

The white paper, which emerged from the collaboration of trade organizations including the U.S.-based Health & Fitness Association, U.K.-based ukactive, Australia-based AUSactive, Exercise New Zealand and Fitness Industry Council of Canada, finds that pairing GLP-1 therapy with regular structured exercise has multiple downstream benefits. Those include improved long-term health outcomes, reduced subsequent costs and positive economic returns across multiple countries.

The study dove into whether structured exercise can improve the long-term clinical and economic value of GLP-1 treatment by comparing the impacts of GLP-1 therapy as a standalone obesity treatment versus GLP-1 therapy combined with exercise, utilizing a health-economic model across Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the U.K. and the U.S.

The financial component of the study found:

U.K.: £2.7 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 164% return on investment, rising to 717% and £13 billion over 30 years.
U.S.: $120 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 496% return on investment, rising to 1,572% and $393 billion over 30 years.
Australia: AU$182 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 59% return on investment, rising to 457% and AU$1.4 billion over 30 years.
Canada: CA$3.5 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 105% return on investment, rising to 526% and CA $17.9 billion over 30 years.
New Zealand: NZ$51 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 27% return on investment, rising to 306% and NZ$592 million over 30 years.

Meanwhile, the addition of structured exercise to a GLP-1 treatment plan had numerous positive health impacts, including:

Preserving muscle during weight loss
Maintaining strength, mobility and bone health
Keeping more weight off over time
Reducing weight regain after stopping medication
Lowering the risk of costly health events later on.

Additionally, the paper highlighted a reduction in acute cardiovascular events and joint replacements; improved patient longevity and quality of life; and reduced spending on medical costs and productivity losses.

Based on those results, the bodies are once again urging for the deeper integration of physical activity and strength training in GLP-1 treatment, after releasing a statement earlier this year calling on governments, health systems and international institutions to ensure that as drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy continue to dominate obesity treatment, they’re supported by lifestyle interventions including physical activity and nutrition.

“GLP-1 medications are rapidly changing obesity treatment, but weight loss alone is not the full measure of success,” said HFA president and interim CEO Greta Wagner.

From those results, the bodies have come up with a plan for how best to implement fitness-forward practices into a systemic treatment plan for GLP-1 users. They propose the following roadmap for policymakers, payers and healthcare systems:

Recognise structured exercise, especially strength training, as an essential part of obesity care
Embed exercise support into GLP-1 care models
Build referral pathways between healthcare providers and qualified exercise professionals and fitness facilities
Support patient access to qualified exercise professionals and fitness facilities
Measure outcomes beyond weight loss, including long-term health and economic value.

The organizations also suggested policy shifts such as reimbursement, coverage, tax-preferred treatment or subsidy models that lower financial barriers to structured exercise for GLP-1 users, making exercise more widely recognized as a crucial component of GLP-1 therapy.

“The health and fitness industry has long known that lasting wellness requires more than a number on a scale, it requires strength, function and sustainable healthy life habits,” Wagner added. “This research confirms that exercise, especially strength training, helps patients sustain the benefits of GLP-1 treatment over time. It sends a clear message that exercise belongs at the center of GLP-1 care.”

Fitness

Adding Exercise to GLP‑1 Therapy Improves Long-Term Benefits, Multinational Study Finds – Health & Fitness Association

Published

16 hours ago

June 15, 2026

Press Room

Adding Exercise to GLP‑1 Therapy Improves Long-Term Benefits, Multinational Study Finds – Health & Fitness Association

The combination could save billions in healthcare costs, leading fitness organizations to call for deeper integration of structured exercise in GLP-1 treatment.

Pairing GLP-1 therapy with regular structured exercise would improve long-term health outcomes, reduce downstream costs, and generate positive economic returns across multiple countries, according to new multinational research by the Health & Fitness Association developed by FTI Consulting’s Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy.

Released as a white paper entitled From Weight Loss to Lasting Value: Structured Exercise and the Economics of GLP-1 Therapy, the research compares impacts of GLP-1 therapy as a standalone obesity treatment with GLP-1 therapy combined with exercise in five countries.

The research was developed in collaboration with the HFA Foundation and four fitness industry federations: AUSactive, Exercise New Zealand, Fitness Industry Council of Canada, and ukactive.

The white paper provides some of the strongest evidence to date that exercise significantly enhances the value of GLP-1 treatment for patients, healthcare systems, employers, and society as a whole.

Across all five countries studied, the analysis found that a combined approach supports improved long-term health outcomes, reduced healthcare costs, and produced positive economic returns.

Combining regular exercise with GLP-1 therapy is estimated to generate:

United States: US$120 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 496% return on investment, rising to 1,572% and US$393 billion over 30 years.
Australia: A$182 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 59% return on investment, rising to 457% and A$1.4 billion over 30 years.
Canada: C$3.5 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 105% return on investment, rising to 526% and C$17.9 billion over 30 years.
New Zealand: NZ$51 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 27% return on investment, rising to 306% and NZ$592 million over 30 years.
United Kingdom: £2.7 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 164% return on investment, rising to 717% and £13 billion over 30 years.

The findings demonstrate that as GLP-1 use expands, exercise should play an essential role in helping patients and health systems maximize the long-term value from new generations of weight-loss drugs.

The fitness industry has an unprecedented opportunity to be part of the solution as GLP-1 usage continues to grow.

“GLP-1 medications are rapidly changing obesity treatment, but weight loss alone is not the full measure of success,” says Greta Wagner, interim president and CEO of the Health & Fitness Association and president of the HFA Foundation. “The health and fitness industry has long known that lasting wellness requires more than a number on a scale; it requires strength, function, and sustainable healthy life habits. This research confirms that exercise, especially strength training, helps patients sustain the benefits of GLP-1 treatment over time. It sends a clear message that exercise belongs at the center of GLP-1 care.”

Based on this data, HFA, HFA Foundation, AUSactive, Exercise New Zealand, Fitness Industry Council of Canada, and ukactive are calling on policymakers, payers, and healthcare systems to integrate structured exercise into GLP-1 treatment pathways.

Specifically, the groups are asking that:

Structured exercise, including strength training, be recognized as an essential part of obesity care;
GLP-1 care models include exercise support;
Referral pathways are established between healthcare providers and qualified exercise professionals;
Patient access to qualified exercise professionals and fitness facilities be supported; and
Outcomes beyond weight loss be measured, including long-term health and economic value.

This call to action builds on a recent joint position statement signed by the participating fitness industry groups, the World Obesity Federation (WOF), and the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry (WFSGI), which emphasized the urgency of ensuring physical activity and nutrition are central to systems supporting the global roll-out of obesity medications.

Download the complimentary full report to see how structured exercise can help unlock the full promise of GLP-1 therapy.

Fitness

From Weight Loss to Lasting Value: Structured Exercise and the Economics of GLP-1 Therapy – Health & Fitness Association

Published

1 day ago

June 14, 2026

Press Room

From Weight Loss to Lasting Value: Structured Exercise and the Economics of GLP-1 Therapy – Health & Fitness Association

This white paper is complimentary.

GLP-1 medications are reshaping obesity care and creating new opportunities to improve long-term health outcomes. But weight loss alone is not the full measure of success. As use of these medications grows, policymakers, payers, healthcare providers, and patients face an important question: what helps ensure that the benefits of GLP-1 therapy are sustained over time?

This first-of-its kind multi-country research examines the health and economic value of combining GLP-1 therapy with structured exercise. The findings make clear that structured exercise help protect and extend the investment being made in GLP-1 treatment by supporting more sustainable health outcomes, reducing costly downstream medical events, and generating substantial economic value.

Across all five studied markets, the research projects that combining structured exercise with GLP-1 therapy can generate substantial health, economic, and societal value compared with GLP-1 therapy alone:

United States: US$120 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 496% return on investment, rising to 1,572% and US$393 billion over 30 years.
Australia: A$182 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 59% return on investment, rising to 457% and A$1.4 billion over 30 years.
Canada: C$3.5 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 105% return on investment, rising to 526% and C$17.9 billion over 30 years.
New Zealand: NZ$51 million in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 27% return on investment, rising to 306% and NZ$592 million over 30 years.
United Kingdom: £2.7 billion in economic and societal value over 10 years and a 164% return on investment, rising to 717% and £13 billion over 30 years.

If public and private payers are investing in GLP-1 therapy, they should also be asking what helps that investment produce more sustainable health and economic returns. Structured exercise is one of the clearest answers.

Methodology

The research was conducted by by FTI Consulting’s Center for Healthcare Economics and Policy in partnership with a multinational coalition of fitness sector organizations, including the Health & Fitness Association, the HFA Foundation, AUSactive, Exercise New Zealand, Fitness Industry Council of Canada, and ukactive.

Drawing on the existing body of research on GLP-1 therapy, weight loss, physical activity, and related health outcomes, the analysis modeled the incremental health and economic impact of adding structured exercise to GLP-1 therapy across participating markets. The model compares combined treatment against GLP-1 therapy alone over 10-year and 30-year horizons.