Calls for councils to support overweight communities through National realSpaces innitiative
Announcement posted by Hill + Knowlton Strategies 09 Jul 2016
One in six Aussies admit they don’t exercise
Research being launched today shows around one in six Australians (18 per cent) admit they don’t exercise at all.
The study, carried out by CoreData and commissioned by Real Insurance indentified attitudes towards exercise, in the lead up to tomorrows launch of realSpaces in the City of Logan, QLD – the first of many free outdoor gyms that will be launched in communities across the country.
Logan has approximately 127,000 people overweight or obese, in a population of around 308,681 (41%). Meanwhile, according to the ABS, three in five (63 per cent) Australian adults and a quarter (25 per cent) of Australian children are overweight or obese. QLD has the highest rate of adult obesity in Australia at 30%, compared with 28% nationally.
Leading Healthy Lifestyle Expert and Exercise Physiologist, Dr Bill Sukala, said there are mental as well as physical benefits to exercising outdoors.
“The advantages of outdoor exercise can be far reaching, from boosted energy and cognitive performance to reduced stress and overall wellbeing. Not only that, but outdoor exercise is fun which increases the likelihood of sticking with it over the long-term” said Dr Sukala.
Key findings from the research
Too Busy to Keep Fit
The study, carried out by CoreData and commissioned by Real Insurance indentified attitudes towards exercise, in the lead up to tomorrows launch of realSpaces in the City of Logan, QLD – the first of many free outdoor gyms that will be launched in communities across the country.
Logan has approximately 127,000 people overweight or obese, in a population of around 308,681 (41%). Meanwhile, according to the ABS, three in five (63 per cent) Australian adults and a quarter (25 per cent) of Australian children are overweight or obese. QLD has the highest rate of adult obesity in Australia at 30%, compared with 28% nationally.
Leading Healthy Lifestyle Expert and Exercise Physiologist, Dr Bill Sukala, said there are mental as well as physical benefits to exercising outdoors.
“The advantages of outdoor exercise can be far reaching, from boosted energy and cognitive performance to reduced stress and overall wellbeing. Not only that, but outdoor exercise is fun which increases the likelihood of sticking with it over the long-term” said Dr Sukala.
Key findings from the research
Too Busy to Keep Fit
- More than a quarter (28 per cent) of Australians blame a lack of time for not getting the recommended 30 minutes of daily exercise
- Three in five (63 per cent) wish they were more active outdoors with their family
- Almost half (45 per cent) of Australians feel there are not enough free community-based health initiatives in their area
- Nearly two thirds (64 per cent) of those who exercise outside, do so because it is cheaper than the gym
- Two in five (44 per cent) people who don’t have a gym membership say this is because they prefer exercising outside
- Most people (88 per cent) who like outdoor exercise do so because they enjoy the fresh air and sunshine and nearly three in five (58 per cent) say it improves their overall mood
- Around one in six (18 per cent) admit they don’t exercise at all
- According to National ABS Statistics, three in five (63 per cent) Australian adults and a quarter (25 per cent) of Australian children are overweight or obese
- QLD snapshot
- 61% of people in QLD wish their families were more active outside
- People in QLD are most likely to prefer exercising outdoors even if they have a gym membership, with one in five (21%) stating this
- Compared to the state average (56.6%), residents of Logan City (51.9%) are less likely to perform sufficient physical activity to maintain their health*
- Queenslanders pay the highest gym membership fees at $29 per week ($1,508 per year)