British Fitness Levels Same or Better for 56% Despite Lockdown According to Poll

56% of British Adults report that during year of lockdown, their fitness levels have stayed the same or improved, according to research published today by Commerce Futures, the events and media publisher. The study, which canvassed the opinions of over 4,000 adults, also reports that almost a third (32%) have found that lockdown has made them fitter, with only 19% saying that they do not feel as fit as a result of the restrictions.

The four most popular lockdown fitness activities were running (26%), walking (24%), cycling outside (21%), and home gym (20%), followed by yoga and indoor cycling which were each selected by less than 8%. Emotional well-being (31%) was the most important motivator to exercise followed by the need to get fitter (28%) and to lose weight (16%) for respondents.

Lockdown also created an opportunity to try something new, with home weights (25%), cycling outside (21%) and running (16%) all being the most common new activities that respondents said they tried for the first time.

Jamie Hancox, Founder of Commerce Futures said: “We conducted this poll with our partners, Alpkit, ZAAZEEE, HIGH5 and Reflex in order to shed light on the impact that lockdown has had on consumer fitness activity and specifically the way in which their buying behavior adapted. By canvassing the opinions of loyal customers across a number of brands in this way, we have been able to consolidate data and can see trends across the market, which individual brands can benchmark and plan with.”

Hancox continues: “We are now actively talking to additional Sports and Outdoor brands, helping them understand consumer behavior in context of wider market analysis, and as a result continue to build this current and independent picture of the way in which British people are incorporating Sports and Outdoor activity into their lives as the UK emerges from lockdown.”

Abbie Cranfield, Events Coordinator at Commerce Futures added: “Consumer appetite for Sports and Outdoor activity has been profoundly impacted by the lockdown, with a number of businesses doing exceptionally well, whilst others have suffered. As we come out of lockdown, there are going to be additional opportunities and challenges. Our data is designed to shed light on these unprecedented market conditions, to allow brands to navigate the turbulence and reduce uncertainty.”