Swimsuit Shopping? No Thanks! Americans Would Rather go to the Dentist or Do Taxes. (PRNewsFoto/Anytime Fitness)
National Survey Finds Men and Women Not Prepared for Swimsuit Season
MINNEAPOLIS, April 20, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — More than 70 percent of Americans would rather go to the dentist, do their taxes, sit in the middle aisle on an airplane, or visit their in-laws than go swimsuit shopping, according to a recent national survey by Anytime Fitness.*
The survey found that nearly 60 percent of women and 46 percent of men feel they are unprepared for swimsuit season, citing their abs as their biggest problem area. Approximately 30 percent of women consider their trouble spot to be nearly everything (abs, hips, chest, arms and derrieres), compared to only 12 percent of men. More than 30 percent of women plan on wearing full body cover ups when at the beach or pool, and 20 percent of overall respondents plan on avoiding the beach entirely.
As far as increasing their workout schedules to get beach-body ready, more than half of the women surveyed plan to kick it in gear, compared to only 34 percent of the men.
When asked what would help them get into better shape, women and men shared different opinions:
Women cited a personal trainer first (25%), followed by help designing a workout routine (20%) and an affordable gym (17%).
Men cited an affordable gym (21%) first, followed by help designing a workout routine (16%) and a personal trainer (11%).
“It is not too late to start getting your body in shape, so you feel comfortable at the beach or pool this summer, but we recommend you make a plan before diving in,” said Andrea Metcalf, national fitness expert and spokesperson for Anytime Fitness. “With all of the options offered today from 24/7, affordable fitness clubs like Anytime Fitness to online support programs, there are so many ways to design a plan that can make a difference in time for swimsuit season.”
According to the survey, motivation for getting in shape comes from within – nearly 60 percent of women and half of men say they consider themselves to be their top motivator. Surprisingly, however, men depend a bit more on their families to help keep them motivated – 45 percent say their spouse and kids are their top supporters.
Respondents ranked online support low on the survey with just 2 percent listing it as a helpful tool for getting into shape; however, fitness experts predict that number will increase as more and more people discover the benefits of online support communities.
Brian Zehetner is the Director of AnytimeHealth.com, a thriving online fitness-focused community affiliated with Anytime Fitness that has more than 250,000 members and is one example of a web-based support system that works.
“Online support is a great way to get ideas on workouts and stay motivated,” says Zehetner. “Research shows that it can really make a difference in helping individuals stick to their workout goals. AnytimeHealth.com is a tremendous resource, a one-stop shop that offers information and tools relevant to health and wellness needs. Members can draw support from various groups, as well as converse with other members and ask questions.”
Overall, women’s top reasons for getting in shape are to look good (32%) followed by to be more active (25%) and feel strong (18%), compared to men who cited being active as the number one reason (31%) followed by looking good and feeling stronger, which were both at approximately 20 percent.
The online survey of 1,000 adults age 18 and older was conducted in April 2011 by Synovate eNation.
* Nearly 70 percent of women would rather go to the dentist (23%), do taxes (15%), sit in the middle aisle on an airplane (16%), or visit in-laws (14%) than go swimsuit shopping (33%). More than 75 percent of men would rather go to the dentist (19%), do taxes (21%), sit in the middle aisle on an airplane (18%), or visit in-laws (18%) than go swimsuit shopping (24%). A detailed report of the survey results is available upon request.
SOURCE Anytime Fitness
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