Where did you spend your last birthday? At a club? On a beach, pia colada in hand? Perhaps you were in a bar, doing the Macarena? Or maybe you celebrated turning another year older in a gym or boutique fitness studio, which is how, it turns out, a growing number of us are choosing to spend the one day of the year that is all about us.

Yes, the new way to give good birthday is by boosting your and your guests ailing endorphin supply. While swapping pub crawls for bear crawls might not sound like a sufficiently debauched way to celebrate, it will mean you feel infinitely better the morning after. And really, a good blast of cardio is not so far removed from dancing the night away at the Box is it?

A quick survey of the British Vogue office (and team members extended social circles), revealed just how many people are putting a wellness spin on once alcohol-fuelled events. One colleague described a recent hen weekend that included a group exercise class first thing in the morning (yes, first thing), while another marked their last birthday by running a half marathon and notching up a personal best. Perhaps most notably, British Vogues editor-in-chief, Edward Enninful, recently enjoyed a star-studded birthday party at BXR, a boutique boxing gym that offers all the exclusivity of a members club, but with an emphasis on exercising.

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Enninful and his guests took on a VersaClimber session a tough cardio workout that is not for the faint-hearted. When I first started Versa climbing, I was terrible, he says. I just found it fun like dancing. But now Im really into it. I go at 6.45am, six or seven days a week. I thought it would be fun to do before my birthday dinner, and it was I loved looking around and seeing all my friends. We all felt good! Karen Elson was great, and Emma Weymouth, too. I was very impressed.

The evidence for this shift is not just anecdotal. Stats show that more and more young people are choosing to be teetotal (a quarter of 16 to 24 year olds in the UK dont drink alcohol), and opting for exercise and clean living activities over partying. Meanwhile, a report by Mintel shows that membership to private health and fitness gyms has leapt by 15 per cent in the last five years, with 6.1 million of us now fully fledged gym buffs, compared with 5.3 million in 2014.

Millennials and Generation Z are growing up in a world where healthy living is at the forefront of their minds, says Alex Nicholl, managing director and trainer at BXR. They no longer want to be spending their evenings drinking and weekends nursing a hangover. Their priorities are different, and theyre more willing to spend their income on gym classes that make them feel good, than on drinking, which has the opposite effect.

Theres truth in the old adage: healthy body, healthy mind; and limiting the risk of hangxiety in the wake of a birthday celebration is certainly in the interests of our mental wellbeing. Youre also more likely to have a proper conversation with your birthday guests in the gym than when it means shouting over a DJ to be heard. So the benefits to a 45-minute class go beyond simply getting fit. Socially, Sweat by BXR [the non-members only side of the gym] is a great place to meet a friend, or make new ones, or enjoy healthy food and juices in the cafe, Nicholl says. Most of our clients stay at BXR far longer than just their class.

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Fitness studios and clubs do have certain things in common these days, too. Boutique gyms also have mood lighting, bass-heavy music, energetic instructors that can get a crowd going as well as any DJ, and a group of people in tight-fitting clothing (Lululemon leggings or clinging jeans we know which wed prefer), all moving to the same beat. The refreshments might be different, but the rush is the same.

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How Hitting The Gym Became The New Night Out - British Vogue