WASHINGTON (April 1, 2001 1:24 p.m. EDT,
The Nando Times)
- A new survey says most Americans can live with being fat
and getting too little exercise. They think they're fine
just as they are.
A poll for the health club industry found
74 percent of respondents saying they were generally satisfied
with their health. But separate federal figures say 55 percent
of Americans are too fat, and that more than 60 percent
do not get enough physical activity regularly to benefit
their health.
"It appears as though the accepted norm has
shifted to an overweight person who does not exercise,"
said the International Health, Racquet and Sportsclub Association,
which commissioned the survey. "Most Americans are satisfied
with their health, yet are most likely overweight."
The Roper Starch Worldwide survey attempted
to understand America's thinking on exercise - why some
people work out and others don't. It found a range of attitudes,
from exercise believers who get big mental and physical
benefits from their workouts to couch potatoes who think
exercise is just a passing fad. The report groups attitudes
into six profiles, with the opinions of the rest - about
one in five - being too diverse to categorize.
Three of the groups tended to be nonexercisers.
About 14 percent were termed Abracadabras
because they wish there were a magic pill that could give
them the benefit of exercise without having to do the work.
"They don't think it's a waste of time, but they don't seem
to feel a whole lot of guilt about not exercising," said
Roper Starch research director Geoffrey Feinberg. Many are
middle-aged moms who say they don't have the time, he said.
The Woulda-Shoulda's, 12 percent, can't commit
to a fitness routine, the study said. "They know they should
exercise, but they have trouble getting motivated," Feinberg
said. "They feel kind of bad about it."
Another 13 percent that were termed Sitcom
Skeptics. The survey found this group viewed exercise as
unnecessary, and therefore was unlikely to do it regularly.
Sitcom Skeptics will be hard to reach with
the exercise message, but Woulda-Shoulda's could be tempted,
Feinberg said. "If they can somehow become aware that they
would feel so much better in so many respects if they would
exercise, I think that would appeal to them," he said.
IHRSA's research director William C. Howland
Jr. is interested in targeting the Abracadabras. He thinks
these time-pressured people might respond better if they
looked at exercise's more immediate benefits, such as stress
reduction, increased energy and better sleep.
Other segments realize the benefits of exercise—and
do it.
About 13 percent, termed Balanced Holistics,
believe fitness not only helps their bodies, it gives them
a more positive attitude toward life. Eight percent who
are Conscientious Preventors focus on the health and medical
benefits. These include a reduced risk of chronic conditions
such as heart disease and diabetes, as well as improvements
in weight control. And Social Competitors, who are 20 percent,
are young risk-takers who say their activities bring them
friends and fun.
However, even though the fitness community
has work ahead of it in getting more people to exercise,
IHRSA President Joe Cirulli thinks it has some successes
to look back upon.
"I started lifting weights when I was 9 and
when I was in high school, I was known as 'the weight lifter,"'
said Cirulli, who owns two clubs in Gainesville, Fla. "Now,
when I walk in, I see thousands of people lifting weights
and exercising. You go back 30 years, the people who worked
out regularly were 'the health nuts."'
