For the fourth consecutive year, Anytime Fitness has released its annual “Weight of the Union” report, following President Obama’s recent “State of the Union” address.
In light of the United State’s obesity epidemic, the report surveyed 1,000 Americans, 18 years of age and older (both Anytime Fitness members and non-members), to identify lifestyle habits regarding physical activity, knowledge of the importance and benefits of daily activity, basic knowledge of exercise and physical activity, and perceptions of body mass and weight.
“We started doing it because obesity is such an important problem in America, and yet no one seems to be offering innovative or effective solutions,” explained Mark Daly, the national media director for Anytime Fitness. “We’ve tried to find new and interesting ways to examine the source of the problem and to offer solutions based on our findings.”
The report revealed a few key statistics, including that 73 percent of adults would like to increase their current activity level.
The findings also revealed an alarming misconception. “Many obese Americans may not even be willing to give exercise a try because they falsely believe it would require too much effort to gain positive results,” said Daly. For example, respondents overestimated recommended weekly physical activity amounts, sometimes by more than double the actual amount recommended.
“Thus, we need to re-educate those individuals and convince them that, when it comes to fitness, small efforts can lead to big gains,” Daly continued.
To educate members and the public on the report, Anytime Fitness corporate and franchisees are sharing the “Weight of the Union” on social media platforms. The full 2014 and previous “Weight of the Union” reports can be found at http://blog.anytimefitness.com/?s=Weight+of+the+Union.
By Rachel Zabonick
