Catch & Release

This past summer, I decided to invest in my fitness journey—sort of.

I paid $12 for 8 weeks on a workout app. It was a deal I couldn’t pass up, or so the advertisement sold me. Such marketing isn’t too far-fetched either since a single drop-in class ranges between 10 and 20 dollars in my area. Even if I only used the app once, it would pay for itself. A worthwhile investment, is it not?

Well, I did only use it once.

What followed was a membership cancellation and, after an onslaught of messages feebly attempting to keep my business, a cancelled email subscription.

Sound familiar? While this may or may not be your experience, statistics don’t lie. With COVID-19 supplying a generous subject pool for online and application-based studies, it wasn’t hard to find some information regarding workout apps.

According to one research study out of Anhui University, of every 100 people who sign up for workout apps similar to the one I had, 45 of them abandon the app (Guo et al., 2022). Another report from analysts at Business of Apps, a globally respected app information company, concludes that only 37% of workout app users retain their subscriptions after the first day of use, and this number plummets to a meager 9% by day 28 (Curry, 2024).  Unfortunately, my churn rate is reflective of these statistics.

In fact, I’ve done this app catch and release before. Hilariously, I’ve even done it with the exact app that I just abandoned—almost an exact year prior to my most recent activation date too. Apparently, my New Year’s resolutions start in July.

What is it that draws people to these low-retention workout apps? Perhaps it’s the promise of a pseudo-escape that would satisfy those of us who feel housebound. Maybe it’s our ever-aging bodies instinctively desiring health-bolstering activities.

The reason may even be societal. In an era where social media influencers fulfill their titled role by steering viewers towards fitness and healthy living, an app that offers a “how to be like X influencer in 20 days” solves two needs at once: the need for social engagement and belonging, and the need for instant gratification.

Or maybe it’s neither of those. Perhaps, it’s what drew me in: the cost.

Life as a busy mom makes engaging in regular fitness difficult. Add the price of gym memberships or fitness classes and my wallet, with contents already taken up by bills and the kids’ extra-curriculars, is adamant that I cannot take on those expenses. These workout apps, with their low initial costs, break that barrier and make fitness appear attainable. All it requires is participation.

An app can look attractive and make promises, but do they deliver, and are they really user friendly? Probably for the self-motivated and homebody folk. What about those who, like me, thrive in tangible community or are unreliable in the area of self-discipline?

Most of us who have engaged with the fitness world understand that there is no one-size-fits-all solution to achieving fitness success. Each body and soul has unique functions and needs. My deficient willpower in this area as well as the lack of readily available space in my house for these exercises make me an ill-fitted candidate for workout apps. My soul just doesn’t vibe well with them. As my catch-and-release count suggests, I should hit the drawing board again.

Have you tried workout apps? Do they work for you? I’d love to read your reflections below in the comment section.

Citations

Guo, Y., Ma, X., Chen, D., & Zhang, H. (2022, November 22). Factors Influencing Use of Fitness Apps by Adults under Influence of Covid-19. PubMed Central, National Library of Medicine: National Center for Biotechnology Information. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9740845/

Curry, D. (2024, November 6). Health & Fitness App Report 2024. Business of Apps. https://www.businessofapps.com/data/health-fitness-app-report/#:~:text=What%20is%20the%20retention%20rate,to%209%25%20by%20day%2028.