Russians have started spending more money on sports

In 2024, the peak values of Russians' spending on sporting goods and sportswear were recorded in December, an increase of almost two times compared to January. The average check for these categories was 3.4 thousand rubles, according to VTB data reviewed by Izvestia.

The highest average bill was in Moscow — 5.6 thousand rubles, the lowest — in the Central Federal District (2.2 thousand rubles).

Russians' spending in gyms has also increased. Customers of the credit institution spent 18 billion rubles in sports clubs last year, which is 37% more than in 2023. Residents of Moscow and the Moscow Region have the highest expenses — 8.2 billion rubles; in the Volga Federal District — 1.8 billion rubles; in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region — 1.8 billion rubles. The highest average bill is in Moscow (3.9 thousand rubles), and the lowest is in the North—Western Federal District (1.4 thousand rubles).

"A healthy lifestyle is becoming more popular every year: the demand for sportswear, workouts and nutrition is growing regularly. Taking care of your health and well—being requires investments, which is why Russians are ready to allocate more and more of their budget to sports," said Rostislav Yanykin, head of the Department of Transactional Retail Business, Senior Vice President of VTB.

The bank's analysts noted that the sports nutrition segment also showed significant growth, as evidenced by data from the First OFD (part of the VTB Group). Thus, the demand for protein snacks increased by 124% from March 2024 to March 2025, for protein biscuits — by 27%, and for sports drinks — by 20%.

"The growing interest in sports nutrition is associated with an increase in the number of people involved in fitness and sports, as well as with the general trend towards a healthy lifestyle and proper nutrition among the population," said Alexey Petrin, head of analytical research at the First OFD.

Earlier, on January 8, Ekaterina Demyanovskaya, a neurologist, candidate of medical Sciences, and expert doctor at the Hemotest laboratory, told Izvestia that Nordic walking helps to develop dexterity and coordination. As the chest expands more when the arms are raised, more oxygen enters the lungs. Blood circulation and metabolism improve, which strengthens the immune system and reduces the risk of infectious diseases, helps to overcome insomnia and cope with chronic fatigue.