Most people will have developed some form of relationship with fitness and exercise throughout their lifetime, whether it’s a ‘love-hate’, ‘love-love’ or simply something you tolerate for the greater good — most of us will have experienced the joy, and sometimes pain, of physical activity.

Since the pandemic the idea of fitness has moved beyond just the physical form to a more holistic approach that now encompasses the entire body, mind, and lifestyle.

To explore this further we, alongside Nike, have delved into Brits’ relationship with sport, exercise, and movement across a lifetime, focusing on how we interact and strive for a sense of fitness. We also uncovered how we truly feel about the journey, our progression, and the biggest barriers to finding a form of activity that we can commit to.

So, grab your gym gear / yoga pants / football kit / neon leg warmers / sequin dance leotard / whatever you’re comfortable moving in, and let’s get physical to look at the UK’s fitness habits.

Exercise and fitness are so intrinsically linked with the end goal of weight loss, but only 27% of Brits use this as motivation to work out, whilst 14% are motivated by the goal of achieving or honing their dream physique. With so many Brits being motivated by aesthetic improvement above all else, it really is unsurprising that a huge proportion of the nation, three quarters (74%) to be exact, are not enjoying their current exercise and movement regime.

Looking at the more niche motivators as to why Brits exercise, 7% put the time into working out in exchange for being able to enjoy any and all the foods they want, while 5% cite peer-pressure from a friend or family member. Social media also plays a role for some, as 9% of those aged 16-24 state they exercise because of body image pressures caused by content on social platforms. Meanwhile, only 7% of those aged 25-44 do so, compared to 2% of those aged 45 and over.

What time of day are Brits getting active

For many of us, we will fall into one camp, and one camp only – the early birds or the night owls. After compiling Instagram and TikTok hashtag data we found that the morning is the most popular time of day to get a sweat on, with over 12 million Instagram and 661 million TikTok hashtags, which is more than double that of those related to evening exercise and workouts.

When it comes to frequency and routine, data indicated that the average Brit exercises at least three days per week, whilst a tenth have mastered consistency and opt to exercise every day. According to the NHS adults should be aiming to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity across a week. How often

Surprisingly, in contrast to the NHS advice, over a quarter of Brits don’t take part in any exercise or fitness activities at all, with this number rising as we get older. For those aged 16-24, 10% stated that they do not do any form of exercise, compared with 39% of those aged 55+.
 

Brits participation in sports declines throughout their lives

Looking into sports participation throughout a lifetime, a third of Brits (34%) stated the last time they enjoyed exercise, or taking part in a sport, was during their school years, with secondary school being the time period where sport uptake is at its highest.  

Post secondary school, at age 16, participation in sport sharply drops by 36%, with a potential causational factor being the end of enforced sport and P.E lessons. This decline continues into university by 16% and then by 11% outside of an education environment. 

P.E favourites of netball, tennis, hockey, badminton, cricket, and basketball all see a peak in participation levels during secondary school years, meanwhile post-education the sports that see an uplift include swimming (54% increase), tennis (9% increase) and cycling (41% increase)

Women are more likely to take up cycling and swimming on average, when compared to men’s participation.

Looking at other niche sports, men are three times more likely to play cricket, while women are three times more likely to horse ride. Men are also significantly more likely to take part in rugby and rowing than women.
 

The most regretted sports Brits have participated in

Not all of us are graced with natural born athlete genetics. There are some of us whose relationship with certain sports is a long-distance affair – with most of us trying to avoid them at all costs. That’s why we’ve delved into the sports Brit's regret taking part in the most, and the ones that spark joy when we play.

Starting at the bottom, the least enjoyable and most regretted sport is gymnastics, with 69% admitting to having never enjoyed the sport – maybe flexibility and body contortion is not the nation’s collective strength.

Despite many of us not being able to go a day without encountering a runner when out and about, running is the second most loathed sporting pastime with 63% admitting it’s just not enjoyable. Golf takes the third most loathed spot, with 54% just not understanding the joy of those who spend their weekends on the course.

Given football is the most participated sport in the UK, you would think there would be strong levels of enjoyment felt by those who play. The reality is, over half of Brits (54%) do not enjoy playing football for themselves.

Moving on from the negative relationships with sport and onto those that Brits hold dear to their hearts, badminton takes the top spot as the most enjoyable sport according to 81% of Brits. This is followed by tennis with 59% and cycling with 56%. Swimming has the nation evenly divided with a 50/50 split of loving and loathing.
 

Once again looking at the gender split, women are more than twice as likely to take part in dance, yoga, Zumba, and Pilates, while men are twice as likely to participate in boxing and the martial arts.

Back to the positives and the fitness classes Brits enjoy the most. Weightlifting comes out on top with 35% admitting to pumping iron being a source of enjoyment. This is closely followed by 31% who enjoy trampolining - who can blame them? While 23% enjoy a dance class, and 20% enjoy a yoga class – all that zen and mindfulness truly is good for the soul in our opinion.

Expert personal trainer of 13 years, Mollie Millington, has shared some advice to help Brits find the right fitness class for them.

Why do Brits' quit the gym?

Whenever we think of exercise, many people will conjure up the mental image of working out in a gym. However, the gym environment isn’t going to be suitable for everyone, with the average Brit starting and cancelling on average three gym memberships across a lifetime – although this can be a much higher number for some people.

We enlisted an expert personal trainer of five years, Conor Malone, to comment on why many of us struggle to maintain a committed relationship with the gym.

Interestingly, 12% of Brits admit to quitting their membership because they felt so uncomfortable in the gym environment that they didn’t want to return - with those aged between 16-24 citing this as the biggest reason.

Diet culture and fitness

Fitness and diet culture often go hand in hand with each other, (earlier we mentioned how a third of Brits exercise with the primary goal of weight loss) so to truly understand the importance of correct nutrition and diet we spoke to Alex Legezynski, an expert personal trainer and nutritionist of three years.

Alex has provided some top tips to help navigate the confusing myths of maintaining a healthy diet:

1. Meal prep spells success. Firstly, the calorie and nutrient tracking is accurate, you know exactly how much is in a portion and won’t get caught out. Secondly, you don’t have to worry about cooking nutrition-packed meals each day or about temptation when reaching in the cupboard, the work has already been done for you.

2. Avoid sugar spikes, particularly at the start of the day. Begin your day with a strong, high-fibre breakfast to start off on the right track and avoid substituting sugary snacks for full meals.

3. Track what you eat using an app or food diary. It can be so easy to slip up when you first make a diet adjustment, and using an app keeps you ‘in the know’. You won’t get caught out and your motivation will stay strong.

Time for a cool down…

Has that given you some motivation? Or perhaps great comfort in the fact that you are not alone in feeling a bit overwhelmed at the thought of exercise.

Here at Next we want to equip you with the knowledge and gear to help you conquer everyday fitness. Just because it’s not a typical or mainstream sport or workout, doesn’t mean it’s not a positive movement that contributes to an active lifestyle – we kindly refer you back to our kitchen dancing and walking comment right at the start of this article.

So why not head across to our sports hub to check out the vast array of Nike products we have to offer? Everything you could need for a kick about in the park, or a lunchtime power walk, from Nike leggings  and joggers to trainers and everything in between. We’ve got your back.

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Methodology

Next conducted a nationally representative survey of 1,500 UK adults to find out about the nation’s relationship with sport, fitness, and diet.

We also used Brandwatch data from the last 12 months to identify the positive and negative sentiment on average, in relation to the most popular diets and sports.

Google Keyword Planner was also used to find the search volumes of the same diets and sports in the time period between January 2020-March 2023.