To celebrate National Fitness Day 2025, a new blog series shares the success of ukactive members that have helped power the campaign. The series explores the benefits that getting involved in National Fitness Day can have for organisations and their communities.
In our third blog of the series, we hear from 3-1-5 Health Club’s Club Manager, Deena Gillan, on how the business has used the day to help get more people active and why National Fitness Day is a key date in the organisation’s calendar.
3-1-5 Health Club have proudly hosted National Fitness Day events since it first started. It’s our absolute favourite day of the year. Not only for the organisation, but for our members too, who have previously asked us in May if we have the date set yet!
Our team loves getting involved in National Fitness Day. We have had staff come back from Maternity leave for the day so they can join in the fun, and we’ve even had a member of our staff rearrange their honeymoon so they didn’t miss out on the day.
In previous years, to celebrate National Fitness Day, we’ve organised a mix of free group classes, had a stage in the centre of the club showcasing our latest releases, outdoor bootcamps, our annual 5K, 10K and family fun runs, wellness workshops, a health fair and open days, where the local community could come in and try our facilities. We have also partnered with local health and wellness brands to offer giveaways, healthy snacks and have hosted fitness challenges throughout the day.
National Fitness Day has greatly helped our business. The increased visibility and community engagement has always had a positive impact on our company and members. Each year our uptake on memberships, packages and swimming lessons have almost doubled on previous years. But more than that, National Fitness Day has helped us to build relationships with people who were curious about fitness but hadn’t yet taken the first step. The day provides a no-pressure (yet exciting) atmosphere for people who have never been in the club before to see what we are about and how friendly and vibrant our team and our club are.
For 3-1-5, getting involved in National Fitness Day has commercial benefits too. Since 2017, our revenue from National Fitness Day alone has grown consistently year-on-year (with the exception of 2020 due to COVID-19). For example, National Fitness Day in 2024 bought in £268,224 for our business, and this was 7 times more than the figure we generated in 2017, showing the increased value the day brings for our business.
National Fitness Day is a fantastic reminder of how important movement is – not just for physical health but for mental wellbeing too. For clubs and our partners, it’s a chance to show their commitment to health and to create inclusive opportunities for their community. For individuals, it’s a great excuse to try something new, break out of their routine and have fun while getting active.
For the day this year (Wednesday 24 September) we’re planning to go even bigger! We’ll be offering the same open day and free access to our range of classes, plus fitness assessments, charity races and our health fair and this year, we’re also hosting ANDYSMANCLUB – showcasing the importance of mental health, not just physical health. ANDYSMANCLUB will have a stall in the gym explaining what they offer and provide advice for our members on men’s mental health. Throughout the day, we’ll also be running gym challenges with prizes and family-friendly activities so everyone can take part, regardless of their age or ability.
The day is all about bringing people together and celebrating the power of movement, and at 3-1-5, we’re proud to be playing a part in improving the nation’s health and wellbeing.
Take a look at how 3-1-5 have activated on National Fitness Day on their social media last year here.
To help you get involved in National Fitness Day this year, we’ve put together a digital toolkit full of helpful resources designed to help you plan and promote your National Fitness Day plans – download the toolkit here.
If you have previously taken part in National Fitness Day and want to share your story, please get in touch by emailing: press@ukactive.org.uk.
For more information, visit www.nationalfitnessday.com and stay up to date by following the campaign on LinkedIn, Instagram and X.
