Culture Shift: Americans Are Ditching Fitness Influencers and Trusting Themselves

June 4, 2025

Americans have grown increasingly skeptical of the $100 billion fitness industry, according to a new study from Mythology and Vytal World, with 47 percent of active adults trusting their body’s signals over those of experts, influencers and tracking technology when making fitness decisions.

Rejecting traditional fitness culture in favor of self-trust and longevity-focused approaches, the findings are from “The End of Expert Rule,” a comprehensive study conducted by creative agency Mythology and Insights partner Vytal World that uncovers a cultural shift in how people relate to exercise and wellness.

“People are questioning the assumption that someone else knows their body better than they do. This isn’t about rejecting science or expertise entirely, [but] pushing back against the commodification of health and the obsessive culture that we’ve seen,” shared Mythology and Vytal World in a media release.

The survey of 1,000 U.S. adults active in fitness highlights a striking rejection of what the report’s authors call “performative suffering,” with nearly 30 percent identifying the “no pain, no gain” mindset as the most outdated fitness status symbol. Just 7 percent of adults place primary trust in AI systems or tracking technology, challenging the notion that we need constant digital monitoring to achieve wellness. SGB