Poles’ sports excuses – why do we avoid physical activity?

14 października 2021

Although 61% of Poles admit that they would like to exercise more often, nearly half of us are not physically active enough. One in three adult residents of Poland does not even walk once a month. What makes so many Poles avoid sport and what excuses do they most often use?

In terms of physical activity, Poland has been below the European average for years. Currently, 68% of Poles engage in physical activity at least once a month, including walking or cycling for transport purposes. Unfortunately, according to the MultiSport Index 2021 survey, 43% of us do not fulfil the basic recommendations of the World Health Organisation, meaning at least 150-300 minutes of moderate or 75-150 minutes of intense activity per week.

Lack of time as the most common excuse

According to the “Global views on sports and exercise” report published by Ipsos in 2021, as many as 42% of Poles indicate lack of time as the main obstacle to engage in regular physical activity. Why are we so eager to use it?

– We use excuses to reduce the so-called cognitive dissonance, meaning an unpleasant state of tension resulting from the discrepancy between our attitude (for example, physical activity improves my health) and behaviour (I do not exercise regularly). Thus, they allow us to justify our behaviour to ourselves or to others. Lack of time is a popular reason that provokes no further reflection. On the other hand, among those who exercise regularly, there are also those who lead an intense lifestyle filled with a lot of responsibilities. An inspiration to change our lifestyle can be learning the ways in which other people around us manage themselves over time. We can also reflect on the current priorities in our lives. Perhaps placing physical activity high in the hierarchy will make us watch our favourite series less often from time to time. We will quickly realise that by practising sports during this time we gain much more – explains Mateusz Banaszkiewicz, health psychologist from SWPS University.

According to the “Digital 2020” report, 81% of the Polish population use the Internet 6 hours and 26 minutes a day on average. We spend additional three hours in front of the TV screen daily. As experts emphasise, there is a room for planning here.

– When we look at the time we spend on passive entertainment, it turns out that allocating 30 minutes to exercise each day is not that much. We can also combine it with pleasure and, for example, while watching our favourite series, march instead of sitting. In this way, during an hour we can take even two or three thousand steps without leaving home. We can also listen to audiobooks during longer walks, planning to cover three chapters during one walk, for example. If we spend our free time on the Internet, let’s try to find a 30-minute online training. During the pandemic, many new solutions that make it possible to exercise at home without additional sports equipment have been developed – emphasises Natalia Litwiniuk, Zdrofit and Yes2Move.com trainer.

Online training is a solution that can become a gateway to an active lifestyle for 13% of Poles who still indicate the lack of access to sports infrastructure as the main obstacle in taking up physical activity. (Ipsos)

What if we just lack the will?

Such a reason is given by as many as 18% of Poles. As experts point out, there are many myths and stereotypes around sport and physical activity that can discourage us. One in ten people in the world believes that age disqualifies them from participating in training and for another 10% the main obstacle is extra kilograms. (Ipsos)

– Effective training does not have to put us through the hoops and cause muscle soreness the next day. Today fitness clubs’ schedules are full of workouts that can be tailored to our needs and physical abilities, including adaptation programmes that focus on the proper preparation of the body to take up physical activity. Such trainings help us improve the mobility of the body and respiratory efficiency. They also strengthen our muscles without overloading them. When starting physical activity or returning to training after a break, it is worth following the strategy of small steps so as not to get discouraged. For starters, a walk, a bike ride to work or yoga classes will be a good idea. Remember that even a small effort that accelerates our breathing brings benefits – adds Natalia Litwiniuk.

As part of the Get ready! educational campaign a team of experts from seven fitness networks have developed a set of free guidebooks that suggest how to incorporate physical activity into our daily routine. The guides can be downloaded at www.przygotujsie.pl.

The right motivation is essential

– In the case of physical activity, training is often not an end in itself. For Poles the willingness to take care of their health and wellbeing has been the greatest motivation for years. 11% of them treat sport as an element of preventive health care – emphasises the psychologist.

In the “Movement is healthy” survey conducted by Benefit Systems on a group of over 1,000 fitness club users, 85% of the respondents indicate that regular activity reduces the negative effects of sedentary work, 80% admit that training strengthens immunity and 73% emphasise the positive effect of exercise in reducing stress and mental overload. Physically active Poles also believe that exercise helps them overcome their own limitations (70%) and gives them a sense of spending time on something worthwhile (69%).

– It is worth treating sport as an element of everyday hygiene. Exercise is better for our health than the lack of training and every time we engage in physical activity we do something good for ourselves. Such an attitude is also conducive to maintaining regularity because we do not only focus on long-term goals but also appreciate every step we take – adds Mateusz Banaszkiewicz.

The “Movement is healthy” survey shows that in the case of as many as 49% of the respondents the trainer provides motivation for systematic training. In terms of cooperation with the trainer, as many as 65% of the respondents particularly appreciate advice on the selection and proper execution of exercises and 57% – the sense of security.

Benefit Systems has been operating on the Polish market since 2001. It is the creator of the MultiSport Programme which enables company employees and their families to take up physical activity in sports facilities and at home. The company is the operator of nearly 160 fitness clubs in Poland that belong to seven different networks: Zdrofit, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Fabryka Formy, StepONE, S4 Fitness and FitFabric. The sports offer is being successfully developed by the company also in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Croatia, and Turkey. More information on Benefit Systems can be found at https://www.benefitsystems.pl/.

Get ready! educational campaign is a joint initiative of seven fitness networks from all over Poland (Zdrofit, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Fabryka Formy, StepONE, S4 Fitness and FitFabric). The campaign aims at building the awareness of the positive impact of physical activity on health and quality of life. Details of the project can be found at www.przygotujsie.pl.

Sources used in the press release:“Global views on sports and exercise” by Ipsos – a study conducted using an online survey between 21 June and 9 July 2021 on a representative sample of 21,500 people aged 16 to 74 from 29 countries; MultiSport Index – a regular survey of the level of physical and sports activity of Poles conducted by Kantar on behalf of Benefit Systems. The survey provides information on how Poles practise sport as well as their motivation and needs in the field of physical activity. The latest MultiSport Index 2021 survey was conducted on 15-18 January 2021 on a representative random sample of 1,000 Polish residents over 18 years of age; The “Movement is healthy” survey by Benefit Systems conducted on a sample of 1,114 fitness club users from all over Poland, carried out using the CAWI method on August 17-22, 2021.

Kampania edukacyjna Przygotuj się! to wspólna inicjatywa siedmiu sieci fitness z całej Polski (Zdrofit, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Fabryka Formy, StepONE, S4 Fitness, oraz FitFabric). Celem kampanii jest budowanie świadomości na temat pozytywnego wpływu aktywności fizycznej na zdrowie i jakość życia. Szczegóły dotyczące projektu odnaleźć można na stronie internetowej www.przygotujsie.pl

Benefit Systems: działa na polskim rynku od 2001 roku. Jest twórcą Programu MultiSport, który umożliwia pracownikom firm (i ich rodzinom) podejmowanie aktywności fizycznej w obiektach sportowych oraz w warunkach domowych. Spółka jest także operatorem blisko 160 klubów fitness w Polsce, które działają w ramach 7 sieci: Zdrofit, Fitness Academy, My Fitness Place, Fabryka Formy, StepONE, S4 Fitness, oraz FitFabric. Oferta sportowa jest rozwijana z powodzeniem przez Spółkę również w Czechach, na Słowacji, w Bułgarii, Chorwacji i Turcji. Więcej informacji na temat Benefit Systems odnaleźć można na stronie internetowej: https://www.benefitsystems.pl/