The Psychology Behind Why You Can’t Keep Your Fitness Goals Intact

How often have you signed up for a new fitness regimen of some kind, and lost steam a few months in? New Year’s workout resolutions may spring from rock-hard convictions, but within a couple of months, most of us lose steam. Even amid the proliferation of boutique fitness studios and “fitspiration” influencers, the percentage of U.S. adults who meet the CDC’s guidelines for “aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity” is just 24.2% — the same as it’s been for decades. Perhaps, then, it’s no surprise that customer churn rates are also the single biggest problem for fitness businesses.

That’s why it’s particularly impressive that Future, a fitness app that pairs customers with personal trainers to build individualized weekly workout plans, has locked in a 90% retention rate for users after 90 days — the point when people’s dedication typically falls off a cliff. Future costs $150 a month, and the average user works out 16 times a month for 40 minutes.