Pilates Beats Cycling

The wellness industry is experiencing seismic shifts right now. We're seeing entire generations reshape what wellness means, movement modalities rise and fall faster than ever, and workers globally demanding wellness benefits with the same urgency they demand competitive salaries.

Let's break down what's actually happening and what it means for anyone building businesses in the health and lifestyle space.

The $2 Trillion Wellness Market That Gen Z and Millennials Are Building

According to McKinsey's latest Future of Wellness report, the global wellness market is now worth $2 trillion. Gen Z and millennials are driving this explosive growth in ways that fundamentally differ from previous generations.

Where older generations viewed wellness as a luxury or occasional indulgence (self-care Sundays or spa weekends), younger consumers treat it like a daily lifestyle strategy. They're spending on sleep optimization, movement, recovery, mental health, and beauty as core components of their identity, not as treats.

This changes everything about how wellness businesses need to operate. Your content, offers, and messaging need to meet people in their daily routines, not position wellness as something they do when they have extra time or money.

If you haven't nailed down your niche yet, younger millennials and Gen Z represent a massive opportunity. They want wellness woven into everyday life, personalization, tech-driven tools, and brands that align with their values. The prevalence of wearables and wellness apps has made daily health tracking part of modern life, and as a wellness creator, incorporating elements that speak to this tech-integrated approach isn't optional anymore.

Even if you serve older demographics, paying attention to trends gaining traction with younger audiences can provide inspiration. Open up TikTok or Instagram and explore what people are talking about in the wellness space.

The Great Lock-In of 2025: TikTok's Anti-Glow Up Challenge

TikTok has birthed another wellness trend worth attention, and this one is delightfully different. It's called the Great Lock-In of 2025, and instead of typical glow up challenges, it invites users to commit to small, sustainable personal goals between now and the end of the year.

We're talking about walking every day, going to therapy consistently, getting serious about sleep quality, eating better. It's less about getting shredded in 60 days and more about getting intentional before 2026 arrives.

If you're running a membership or offering coaching, this trend gives you a perfect framework to engage with your audience. You could host a lock-in with your community, run a workshop helping people set sustainable goals, or create a challenge around establishing a single meaningful habit. This is a low-lift, high-trust trend spreading beyond TikTok to YouTube and other platforms.

Pick one focus area that aligns with what you teach, invite people to commit alongside you, and create content around that shared journey. It's accessible, realistic, and meets people where they actually are.

The Pilates Phenomenon: How One Modality Quietly Dominated the Fitness World

Pilates is now one of the fastest-growing movement modalities in the fitness industry while other former favorites see significant declines. Since 2019, Pilates participation has jumped from 9.2 million to nearly 13 million people (a 40% increase). Meanwhile, cycling experienced a 33% drop in participation.

Industry data shows that Pilates, yoga, and barre now hold the largest market share in boutique fitness studios globally, surpassing boxing, HIIT, and cycling.

What's driving this change? People want lower-impact, strength-based, longevity-friendly movement after years of high-intensity everything. Bodies are tired. People are thinking about sustainability and graceful aging instead of just burning maximum calories. Plus, everyone bought a Peloton during lockdowns, and many are over it.

If you teach Pilates, this is your moment. The demand is rising and clients are actively seeking qualified instructors. But even if you don't teach Pilates specifically, this trend tells you something important: people want practices that support nervous system regulation, build functional strength, and feel aligned with long-term health rather than short-term aesthetic goals.

One fascinating aspect is the pricing tolerance people have for Pilates. Classes typically cost more than yoga or general group fitness, yet people pay those premiums willingly. Even during financial pressure, spending on Pilates hasn't pulled back. People are redirecting their wellness dollars toward quality, expertise, and results.

If you're a yoga teacher or fitness instructor, consider incorporating Pilates-influenced content. Lower impact doesn't mean less effective, and people are getting smarter about movement.

When Wellness Becomes as Valuable as Your Salary

According to a recent Wellhub study of over 5,000 workers, 88% of employees now say wellness benefits are equally as important as their salary. Two-thirds of workers are saying wellness support matters as much as their paycheck.

This same study found that burnout levels reached record highs in 2024, with 60% of workers reporting burnout. More than half want their companies to invest more in wellness programming: movement classes, mental health support, recovery resources, and stress management tools.

The rising demand for workplace wellness signals that people see wellness as essential infrastructure, not optional luxury. When workers demand wellness benefits with the same urgency they demand competitive pay, wellness has moved into the category of non-negotiable necessities.

If you offer coaching or programs that help people manage stress, build sustainable routines, or create more balanced lives, you're not selling a nice-to-have anymore. You're selling a response to a genuine crisis people are actively trying to solve.

This also opens doors for wellness creators to think about corporate partnerships, workplace workshops, or programs for burned-out professionals. Your messaging should reflect wellness as essential support for thriving in demanding environments, not as a treat people give themselves when everything else is handled.

The Elizabeth Holmes Story That Has Every Female Founder Watching

Elizabeth Holmes has returned to social media from prison, and her presence is raising questions that matter for female founders everywhere. Holmes was the founder of Theranos, the youngest self-made female billionaire, who's now serving time for wire fraud. Recently, an Instagram account bearing her name appeared and has been actively posting, commenting, and starting a book club.

The account is verified and interacting with followers in ways that suggest real human engagement. During her trial, many felt she never truly got to present her side of events. Now, with changing cultural attitudes, people seem more willing to listen with fresh ears.

Here's why this matters for wellness creators and female founders: the way Holmes was targeted sent chills through the entire female founder community. Many successful women started holding back, second-guessing their ambitions, wondering if building something big was worth the risk.

Male founders like Adam Neumann can make bold claims, fail spectacularly, and immediately raise money for their next venture. Female founders watch their peers face criminal prosecution for similar levels of overpromising. That double standard affects how women approach building businesses and making claims about their products.

And here's something worth noting: much of what Holmes was building has come to be. She was accused of fraud for claiming diagnostic blood testing technology that didn't work. Yet now we see prominent doctors like Peter Attia and Mark Hyman advocating for exactly the kind of preventative, at-home blood testing Holmes envisioned. Companies like Function Health are building businesses around this model.

She was early. She was a college dropout with a vision the healthcare establishment found threatening. Whether the technology was truly viable or whether she misrepresented its readiness, the direction she pointed toward has proven accurate.

For female founders, the question becomes: how do we build boldly without facing disproportionate consequences? How do we make ambitious claims without ending up in prison while male counterparts get celebrated for their audacity? If you're building something significant, the Elizabeth Holmes story is worth following because it raises essential questions about ambition, accountability, and what happens when women dare to build empires.

What This All Means for Your Business

These trends are signals about where the wellness industry is moving and what your audience increasingly expects from you.

Gen Z and millennials are treating wellness as daily practice. If you want to serve this demographic, your offerings need to fit into their everyday routines. The Great Lock-In trend shows people are hungry for sustainable, realistic goal-setting. Pilates is dominating because people want movement that's smart and sustainable. Wellness has become as valuable as salary, which means it's shifted from luxury to necessity. And the Elizabeth Holmes situation reminds us that building something big as a woman comes with unique considerations, but also that bold visions might be closer to reality than skeptics believe.

The wellness industry is changing fast. The creators who thrive will be the ones who pay attention to these shifts, adapt their offerings accordingly, and stay connected to what their audiences genuinely need.

Jeni Barcelos and Sandy Connery are the co-founders of Marvelous, the platform helping wellness creators build and grow profitable online businesses. Together, they host the Wellness Creator Podcast and bring decades of experience in tech, wellness, and entrepreneurship to everything they teach and create.

RESOURCES:
Marvelous Software Platform
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