Datefit Connects Fitness Lovers for Romance and Friendship

The Short Version: If you’re the kind of person who hits the gym every day, you probably want a partner who understands why exercise and healthy living are so important to you. Dating app Datefit connects users for romance and friendship over a shared love of physical wellness. Founder Steve Macecevic created the app to bolster in-person fitness communities and give people the opportunity to find health-oriented folks in their areas.

When fitness is a big part of your life, you want someone who you can share that with. All of my gym-loving friends agree that they are looking for a partner who also appreciates working out and attending to their personal health. Shared interests and hobbies can make a great foundation for building a new relationship.

When couples bond over and share their exercise habits, relationships can flourish as they hold each other accountable, encourage each other, and praise each other for a job well done. Working out and doing physical activities together can teach couples how to work as a team and appreciate each other’s way of doing things.

Datefit is a dating app made for people who want a partner who loves fitness as much as they do. The app is designed to connect exercise enthusiasts with each other for friendships and romantic relationships. Beyond that, Datefit has created a dedicated community of gym-goers who hang out, attend events, and encourage each other through their fitness journeys.

Steve Macecevic is the Founder and CEO of Datefit. He told us about the app’s origin story and how it continues to make health-conscious connections. “When we first started thinking about Datefit, it felt like a no-brainer. It made a lot of sense to bring people together through fitness and a shared passion for fitness. That’s what we do.”

Long before Datefit, Steve worked in the world of online dating. He told us he had been on the scene since 2007, when sites, rather than apps, ruled the online dating world. He said after apps became popular, he took a step back from dating sites and worked on some other tech projects.

By 2016, Steve was working on a new project to organize a fitness cruise for people who wanted to enjoy a vacation while meeting fellow exercise enthusiasts. “I started to kind of piece together what I wanted the project to look like,” Steve said. “And we officially launched in 2019 and ended up doing a 3,000-person fitness cruise.”

Steve said the cruise wasn’t just for singles, but he saw the potential for fitness-based dating during the cruise. He said, “We fully chartered the second-largest Royal Caribbean cruise ship and invited people from all over the world. We had CrossFit competitions, rowing machines, skiergs, treadmills, kettlebell-covered basketball court, and training classes for everyone. We turned the ship into a floating gym and people loved it.”

After the cruise, Steve realized fitness events have great potential to bring singles together. He told us everyone on the cruise was excited to get to know each other and mingle. Their shared love of fitness made everyone on the boat feel comfortable and made it easy to start conversations. Steve, who had already wanted to connect dating and fitness, saw a great opportunity.

Datefit was launched and designed to bridge the gap between online connections and real-life events. “From our cruise, we had established bases in Florida, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix– all over,” Steve said. “The Datefit app was designed to be the nucleus of the business, and it could bring everyone together for in-person events.”

Steve said he always wanted Datefit to be more than just a dating app. That’s why the app combines online profile browsing and matching and the opportunity to find in-person fitness and singles events.

The iOS app has recently been completely rebuilt, and a rebuild is coming soon for the Android app. Steve said these overhauls make the apps faster and easier than ever to use.

Datefit has nearly 1 million members nationally and is free to download. Users create a profile that includes their name, profession, and location, plus photos, fitness interests, hobbies, and health goals, among other information. Users can select their gender, age, height, and location preferences and then get matching.

Singles can find other users who share the same fitness goals and lifestyle interests as them. Steve said, “You know, my wife and I wake up every morning at 4:30 and go to the gym and workout. It’s a big part of our life.” It’s important to singles who center fitness in their lives to have a partner who not only understands their dedication, but also wants in on the fun.

When folks sign up for Datefit, they can decide whether they want to use the dating feature of the app or the friend-finding feature. Datefit Social gives fitness lovers the chance to form friendships with other folks who love working out and staying healthy.

Community is at the heart of Datefit, and Steve said integrating the “find friends through fitness” feature was meant to boost that community. Users can toggle between the friends and dating feature whenever they choose.  

Everyone who is passionate about fitness is welcome to join Datefit, even if they’re a gym newbie. Steve told us he wants people of all fitness levels and backgrounds to try out Datefit and not be intimidated by the dating app. 

“My business partner is this big, six-foot-four, 280-pound guy, and he might not look like the most fit person, but he rides his bike 50 miles every day and feels great,” Steve explained. “He always says to me that he could never be a Datefit model, but he would absolutely use the app to find someone to enjoy his favorite activities with.”

Fitness looks different for everyone, and Steve said that the singles on Datefit reflect this diversity. “Fitness isn’t always, you know, going to the gym and building huge muscles,” Steve said. “It can be anything that keeps you active, that you love doing, whether it’s running or backpacking or rock climbing.”

Couples who stay active together and encourage each other in their goals often enjoy closer connection. It’s not always easy to self-motivate to stay active, and Steve said that having an accountability partner can be a huge aid in achieving fitness goals. 

“There’s plenty of mornings where I hear my wife waking up, and I’m really not in the mood to go to the gym. But she pushes me, gets me out of bed, and I always feel better after I go to the gym,” Steve told us.

With Datefit, singles can find people in their area who are ready to sweat and connect. Steve suggested singles on Datefit choose a first date activity that gets dating couples up and moving. “There’s so many endorphins that are released while working out, and I really think that starts to build a real chemistry between two people,” Steve said.