3 OUT OF 4 UNHAPPY WITH THEIR APPEARANCE YET IGNORING GOVERNMENT GUIDELINES
According to recent research, 73% of the public are failing to exercise in accordance to Government recommendations of 5 times a week for a minimum of 30 minutes a time, with 65% of people blaming a ‘lack of time’ for their inactivity.
Recent research by a leading European health and sports nutrition company has revealed that 73% of people are unhappy with their appearance and general health. Of the 1,328 people polled, just 30% of people exercised in accordance to Government recommendations of more than 2.5 hours a week, with 25% saying that they put no time aside for exercise whatsoever.
When asked to explain the factors preventing them from exercise, 65% of people listed "lack of time", with just over 40% claiming that they "did not enjoy exercise". 32% answered this multiple answer question with the fact that they had "better things to do" than adhere to guidelines in place to prevent life-threatening diseases such as Type II Diabetes, which can lead amongst other things to heart disease.
In the comprehensive survey commissioned by www.myprotein.co.uk, gender response was mixed, with females accounting for 52% of the respondents.
When asked, "If you feel you could eat healthier, which of the following are applicable to you?" 42% of people claim to "eat too much", with 24% claiming to eat according to those around them, with explanations for this figure showing that treats in the office are largely responsible. A shocking 22% said that they were "unaware of the right sort of foods" they should be eating.
In response to the question, “Have you ever embarked on a deprivation diet in a bid to lose weight, where you have cut out food groups rather than eat healthier?” 38% of respondents claimed that they had embarked on a diet more than once, with the majority claiming to have followed Atkins-esque diets, by cutting out carbohydrates altogether.
Interestingly, 3% of the females quizzed admitted to using sports supplements such as low in carbohydrate, high protein shakes and bars to replace meals throughout a so-called "deprivation diet", in a bid to reduce calorie intake, with 27% of males alleging to have bought and used a sports supplement in the past alongside an exercise regime. 32% of people said they currently take multivitamins, and a further 24% stated that they had taken them in the past.
Rich Smith, a self-employed UK Personal Trainer and Sports Nutritionist with 5 years experience said,
"If used correctly, sports supplements can be highly effective, legitimate ways to aid in your progress, no matter who you are, male or female, no matter what age or experience. I would never advise a client to cut out a food group such as carbohydrates, for despite the fact that weight-loss effects can occur, the health risks are huge. The metabolism slows down as a result, meaning when the dieting individual inevitably raises their calorie intake again, they are in a worse position than they were before the diet."
He continued,
"There however is a stigma attached to sports supplements, with many believing protein for instance to be something other than what it is: an easy way to ingest higher amounts of protein, the building blocks for healthy growth and repair of muscle tissue. If people could stomach or afford large quantities of protein-rich foods such as chicken and fish, they would achieve the same results by ingesting the same macro-nutrients."
Oliver Cookson, Managing Director of www.myprotein.co.uk (Growing Business Award Winner 2007), said,
"The results are extremely interesting. We wished to analyse the British public to assess how best to market ourselves following our progression to the finals of this year’s National Business Awards, but had no idea how little exercise Britain was doing,"
"Managing our time effectively is an issue that affects us all, but exercise doesn’t have to mean pounding a treadmill or hitting the weights. The research shows a correlation between the people who admitted to less exercise than recommended and those who were unhappiest with their appearance. The fact that over a fifth of people were unaware of what they should be eating is the fact that sticks out most, but help is at hand, as we have free dietary advice on our site, no matter what goal you are looking to achieve."
Myprotein also stock health supplements such as Glucosamine and Multivitamins.
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