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keep fit

Why do people go for 'walks'?

But in fairness, a lot of us do like working out.

DO YOU GET out for walks regularly, or do much sport?

According to the latest CSO figures, 73% of us are physically active, meaning that over a quarter of us aren’t.

cso sport

You can read the full release here, but these are the biggest findings from the survey.

The data comes from the Quarterly National Household Survey, from April to June 2013.

cso crecreation

The 73% is made up of 37.8% who are engaged in sport and 34.7% who don’t do sport but do walk for recreational purposes.

People who don’t participate in physical activity, sport, or walking say that lack of time (nearly 35%) is the main reason why.

  • About 29% said that the main reason is ‘illness, injury or disability‘.
  • Nearly one fifth (18.8%) stated that the main reason is ‘lack of motivation‘.

Aerobics/keep fit/the gym was the most popular physical activity, particularly for women. The second most popular was swimming, followed by cycling.

Why do people stay active? Eight out of 10 said it is to improve physical health and fitness.

Here’s why people walk:

cso walking

Here’s where they walk:

cso walking 2

Again, lack of time was the main reason people gave for not walking.

As for sport, nearly four in 10 people participate in sport or another physical activity (excluding walking).

cso physical activity

Over 10% of people take part in sport or physical activity, besides walking, three to four times a week for over one hour at hard effort, while 14% participate in sport three to four times a week for 30-60 mins a session, at moderate to hard effort.

Most people exercise on their own initiative. Nearly four in 10 people aren’t a member of a sports or fitness club.

cso sports influences

Read: Let’s get physical – it will get you mentally fit this year too>

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