If you thought fitness in 2025 was getting smart, 2026 is about to graduate with honours. At David Lloyd Clubs, we’ve pulled together insights from expert trainers and the habits of more than 800,000 people across Europe, and the verdict is in: this year, fitness (and wellness) gets personal, intelligent and delightfully immersive.
From syncing your workout with your body clock to swapping screens for forest air, here’s everything set to shape how we move, rest and live in 2026.
Recovery is the new routine
Hybrid health clubs and recovery centres
Wellness isn’t just about the workout anymore. In the last year, David Lloyd Clubs has seen a 48% rise in Spa Retreat use, with holistic classes booked more than high-energy ones for the first time. Members are actively building massage, recovery time, diagnostics and holistic support into their weekly routines.
Health clubs are evolving into preventive health hubs. Think sports medicine, physio, hormone checks, recovery tech and structured programmes under one roof. With Spa Retreats, new partnerships (including Hertility) and a continued push into diagnostics, David Lloyd Clubs is preparing for a future where your club becomes your long-term wellbeing partner.
Hormonal harmony
Hormone health is stepping into the spotlight. Women navigating perimenopause, cycles, fertility and stress are turning to adaptogen teas, cycle-tracking tech, recovery-focused supplements and strength training to support bone health and reduce the risk of osteoporosis.
David Lloyd Clubs continues to support this shift with female health seminars designed to help members align wellness habits with hormonal rhythms. And while the conversation has long focused on women, men’s hormonal balance is becoming part of the picture too.
Nature, stillness and the art of slowing down
Nature immersion fitness
With screens creeping into every corner of the day, more people are craving greenery, fresh air and movement that feels grounded. Expect outdoor run clubs, forest-inspired workouts, cold-water dips and screen-free mindfulness to become a bigger part of weekly routines.
Across David Lloyd Clubs, outdoor pools, courts and landscaped spaces are seeing more yoga, walking meditation and nature-based classes, alongside new investment in plunge pools and contrast therapy.
Analogue wellness and slower living
As life speeds up, wellness is slowing down. Gentle, analogue practices like breathwork, restorative yoga, mindful movement and calming spaces are becoming anchors in people’s week. Not anti-tech, just intentionally offline.
Next year, David Lloyd Clubs will introduce SPIRIT Breathwork, alongside SPIRIT Dance Meditation, Sound Bath and mind-body sessions that encourage members to slow down, reset and reconnect.
Smart bodies, smarter tech
Bio-sync training
Saying that, fitness tech is also still on the rise. If you’ve ever wondered why you’re buzzing at 9am but ready for a nap by 3pm, say hello to circadian biology. In 2026, the newest wave of personalisation will tune workouts, recovery and even fuelling to the natural rhythms of your hormones and energy cycles.
Think of it as training in harmony with your internal settings. Emerging tech will help people understand their biological age, recommend ideal training windows and suggest recovery strategies that match their personal rhythms. Better sleep, less fatigue, more efficient sessions. It’s your body, but optimised.
Smart sportswear and invisible tech
Wearables are leaving the wrist and moving into your wardrobe. Sensor-laced fabrics will quietly track posture, breathing and fatigue to help people lift more safely, stretch more effectively and move with better alignment.
Yoga leggings that correct form, shirts that keep an eye on recovery, fabrics that look like regular kit but act like your own performance analyst. Data-driven design will shape both how we train and the products we train in.
The power of community and connection
Longevity communities
Ageing well is officially a movement. Longevity-focused communities are forming around a shared goal of living longer and living better. That means strength for life, cognitive health, recovery, purpose and connection.
David Lloyd Clubs is already seeing members organise around group health goals and support networks, with programmes designed to help people build power, protect their brain and stay socially connected through every life stage.
Family-centred wellness
Wellness is going from solo to synced. Families are connecting wearables like Oura, Apple Watch and WHOOP to track everything from sleep and stress to hydration and movement as a unit.
Whole households are checking in on energy levels, celebrating shared wins and forming healthier habits together. With family memberships and kids’ wellbeing woven into Kids Club and REBELS, David Lloyd Clubs is positioned to help families turn wellness into something they do together, not just individually.
Sensory and emotional wellness
Scent as a supplement
Aromatherapy is entering its science-backed era. People are choosing scents to support mood, sleep, stress and hormonal balance, from diffuser oils timed to cycle phases to essential-oil patches designed for focus or rest.
In Spa Retreats across David Lloyd Clubs, each steam and sauna room features a targeted scent blend. Relax blends lavender, mandarin and ylang-ylang to support calm and sleep, Repair mixes rosemary and mint for recovery, and Energise combines citrus and eucalyptus to boost clarity and circulation.
Looking ahead
2026 won’t just be about getting fitter. It will be about feeling more balanced, more connected and more in tune with what your body needs day to day. From AI-backed personalisation to slow, analogue rituals, David Lloyd Clubs will continue to evolve its spaces, services and partnerships to support whole-life wellness.
Movement makes life better. Next year, members will keep discovering just how much.
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