LIFTS Episode 96 - Exercise Is Medicine: Inside the 2025 Global Fitness Report with Liz Clark & Anton Severin of HFA

In this special remote episode of the LIFTS Podcast, hosts Matthew Januszek and Mohammed Iqbal sit down with Liz Clark and Anton Severin of the Health & Fitness Association (formerly IHRSA) to unpack the 2024–2025 Global Fitness Report and explore the intersection of data, health, and the future of fitness.

Recorded across three continents, this conversation dives deep into how exercise is redefining healthcare, the evolving role of recovery and wellness, and what’s next for the global industry.

Key topics discussed:

• The new definition of obesity and its massive implications for public health.
• How fitness must be recognized as preventative healthcare.
• Global fitness market growth and emerging trends.
• Why recovery and wellness are now the new anchors in gyms.
• The rise of wearables, AI, and the need for standardized fitness data.
• Bridging fitness with healthcare through credible evidence and policy.
• The future of the FIT Act and global legislative momentum.
• Recruiting and retaining qualified trainers and instructors.
• Generational shifts: from aesthetics to mental health and longevity.
• The evolving role of the Health & Fitness Association in shaping the industry.

 

👉 To get your copies of the Health & Fitness Associations Reports please use the links below: 2025 HFA Global Report:

https://www.healthandfitness.org/publications/the-2025-hfa-global-report/

 

👉 2025 Fitness Industry Benchmarking Report:

https://www.healthandfitness.org/publications/2025-fitness-industry-benchmarking-report/

 

👉 If you are an operator located in the US or Canadian markets, please also complete the Employee Compensation and Benefits Survey by Friday November 14, 2025:

https://www.healthandfitness.org/improve-your-club/industry-news/hfa-launches-2025-employee-compensation-benefits-survey/?utm_campaign=Weekly%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=382837849&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9q93aA7aVbdZ0ioS8OU5WV9_A7sXCVpbPaRzF0dRRZyeTNCSGemc0vmtyxDE1e0ZuL4STwnFZG8brAtM7CbczQkfsO9hVdAH2AjrSozjEQkZtw7IA

 

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0:00 – Introduction: Mo from Sydney

1:42 – Introducing Liz Clark & Anton Severin of HFA

4:27 – Obesity crisis and redefining fitness as healthcare

8:10 – The global fitness report and data insights

15:30 – Post-pandemic growth and changing consumer behavior

17:28 – Gyms as third spaces & the rise of recovery zones

26:27 – Recruiting trainers and the challenge of engagement

31:49 – Wearables, AI, and fitness data accuracy

39:04 – Turning fitness data into medical-grade insight

45:24 – From participation to impact: the next decade of fitness

46:05 – The FIT Act and global policy shifts

50:18 – Key takeaways from the report

53:49 – Upcoming HFA event & closing remarks