LA fitness news
British hopefuls make a splash celebrating Londoners No.1 gym choice
November 23rd, 2009
20 October 2009
The British synchronised swimming team is taking a break from working towards the 2012 London Olympics today to showcase some of its routines on dry land in a bid to demonstrate their support for Londoners.
New research out today (20th October 2009) from LA fitness looking at the nation’s gym-going habits, shows that 20% of Londoners are exercising more than this time last year. And it seems that we are a nation of water babies, as over a fifth of us (20%) look for a swimming pool, sauna or steam room as the most important when choosing a club.
The research was conducted by YouGov and commissioned to mark the half way point of LA fitness’ £30 million investment programme spearheaded by its London clubs. It suggests that Londoners are being spurred on to exercise more due to heightened stress levels in the past year. Of those that said they were more stressed than this time last year, the main reasons were increased financial worries (58%) and added pressures in the workplace (43%). A hefty 42% of Londoners admitted to being more stressed compared to this time last year, and 44% state that exercise is an effective stress buster for them.
Exactly half (50%) of London respondents said that swimming is one of the best ways to keep fit, with 46% saying they would swim most days if they had a pool at their disposal (rising to 58% for 25-34 year olds), even though some women feel self-conscious in their costume, so won’t go swimming (20%).
Biz Price, National Performance Manager/Head Coach of the British synchronised swimming team says: "It’s good news to see that people are taking the plunge and enjoying the many physical and emotional benefits that you can gain through swimming. People often cite time constraints as a barrier to exercise, however, 30 minutes of moderate pool exercise can burn up to 300 calories, so it’s easy to see how a quick half an hour just three times a week can have long-lasting health benefits."
Tony Orme, Marketing Director of LA fitness comments: "As part of an extensive refurbishment plan happening across our clubs, we thought it would be a good exercise to ask the nation what they like about, and want from a gym. We are pleased to be able to offer swimming pools in all our clubs and are looking forward to working alongside the British synchronised swimming team to create a specific swimming class in response to Londoners saying they would swim more if they were able to participate in more interesting exercises or routines."
To celebrate the milestone, LA Fitness is offering free five day passes to anyone who goes into a London club (1) wearing or taking something swimming related with them from Tuesday 20th – Sunday 25th October 2009. Members of the public are also invited to three Club locations to watch the British team dance their way through a unique dry land routine (2)
UK wide, LA fitness research, also confirms that tiredness is a barrier for a third of 25-34 yr olds, and too busy at work cited for a busy 24%.
47% of 25-34yr olds across the UK are feeling more stressed compared to last year (and compared to other age ranges). Top four reasons are:
- Money/financial worries (66%)
- Pressure at work (47%)
- Recession (38%)
- Health (25%)
Over a third of UK adults believe that exercise helps them deal with stress (38%); exactly 50% of 25-35yr olds and just over half of 18-25 yr olds (55%) agree.
According to LA fitness exercising does offer a natural form of detox: "Our bodies produce adrenaline when stressed, and this hormone will just swim around the body until it is used up," confirms Tony Orme. "We tend to suppress this hormone so it will stay in our bodies and blood stream for longer than it should or is needed, which can lead to many health issues. The only way to re-address the balance is to get physical. How people do this is up to them but exercise helps focus adrenaline positively and the body will re-balance itself."
16% of UK adults are doing more exercise than this time last year, and 48% are doing the same amount. Londoners have the edge - with 20% suggesting they are doing more exercise than a year ago.
A hopeful 8% of 18-34yr olds are planning to join a gym in the New Year, and across the board, the top three most important factors when choosing a Club are:
- Swimming pools (17%)
- Free classes for 10%
- Treadmills for (6%)
And most agree that they get better results by working out at a gym than at home – over a third of 18-34 yr olds (38% average) get better results that way.
Finally, Londoners are the most health obsessed according to the poll (49%) followed by the South East (18%) and the South West (4%). Londoners agree with this – 66% voted themselves! And according to the poll the league table for the unhealthiest is (perhaps predictably) Scotland at 34%, the North East at 18% and in third place is Yorkshire and Humberside at 7%. The Scots rate themselves higher than this though ... 53% agree they are the unhealthiest in the country!.
Ends
Contact. For further information/interviews/images contact Anna, Andrea, Lisa at Eye PR: Tel 0207 843 6400; Kerry on the day on 07799 714006 or email lafitness@eyepr.co.uk
About YouGov Research: All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Total sample size was 2014 adults along with a separate boost of adults in London. Fieldwork was undertaken between 2nd - 5th October 2009. The survey was carried out online. National results have been weighted and are representative of all UK adults (aged 18+) Londoners were also interviewed (569) these results were weighted and are representative of all London adults (aged 18+).
About LA Fitness: LA Fitness is a market leader in offering a wide range of fitness options in convenient locations. Positioned in the premium-value segment of the health club market, its business philosophy is to provide the facilities and the motivation for people of all ages, shapes and sizes to get as fit as they realistically can in a vibrant and friendly environment. With 83 clubs in the UK and Ireland, facilities include fully equipped gyms, personal training, over 40 studio classes a week in most clubs, spin studios, swimming pools, and sauna/steam rooms. That’s why nearly 230,000 people choose to be members of LA Fitness. www.lafitness.co.uk
About British Synchronised Swimming Team: The team is working towards the 2012 London Olympics. The commercial arm of the team - Aquabatix - create bespoke aquatic shows for events and entertainment both in the UK and worldwide www.aquabatix.com
About Joe Hill and Max Lowry : specialists in 3D Live Art : www.joehill-art.com