Majority in Mumbai & Delhi do not think they need to exercise: Banknet India

Homepage Free Newsletter Daily News Best of 2004 Humour Club Culture Travel Reading Horoscope Lifestyle Page


		Large Majority in Mumbai & Delhi do not think they need to exercise [Nielsen Omnibus study, 2007] In spite of the myriad benefits that exercise offers and exciting new launches in the health and wellness area, nearly three quarters (72%) of people in Delhi do not think they need to exercise and 55 percent in Mumbai are of the same opinion, according to the latest Nielsen Omnibus study which gauged the exercise habits of people in Delhi and Mumbai. “Clearly the benefits of exercising are not apparent to all, with most viewing it as curative with some of the view that only people with health problems need to exercise or they would only exercise if they put on weight,” said Vatsala Pant, Associate Director, Client Solutions, The Nielsen Company, India. ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is definitely not a mantra they follow.” Accordingly, a third of Delhites and 19 percent of Mumbaikars consider exercise as an activity exclusively for people with health problem, and 21 percent and 15 percent of people in Delhi and Mumbai respectively would consider exercise only when they put on weight. At the other end of the scale, only 28 percent in Delhi and 45 percent in Mumbai buy into the benefits of working out. Among those who claim to exercise in Delhi, keeping themselves healthy (81%) was the priority reason followed by other reasons such as concern about their fitness as they age (59%), exercising to live longer (49%) and looking good (41%). Meanwhile, for Mumbaikars the priorities ranged from 55 percent claiming to do exercise to stay healthy, followed by concern about fitness as they age (34%), 15 percent for looking good and five percent for longevity. People in Delhi have taken to exercise more than those in Mumbai. The metro has 53 percent of respondents who are participating in some sort of exercise compared to 32 percent in Mumbai. The frequency of exercise also varies over the two cities. 89 percent of Delhites exercise once a week or more whereas only 78 percent Mumbaikars exercise as frequently. Mumbai has more respondents (18%) who exercise once in two weeks while in Delhi, only 10 percent respondents voted for exercising once every two weeks. “The hectic lifestyles in metros don’t leave people with much time to exercise, especially in cities like Mumbai where a lot of time is spent traveling to and fro from work. Even though people are aware of the benefits of exercise, few people have managed to slot some exercise into their daily routine,” added Pant. Delhi and Mumbai have always had differences, and there is no exception when it comes to their choice of exercises. A higher percentage (63% vs. 27% in Mumbai) of respondents in Delhi like to go for a walk or a jog, while in Mumbai more people prefer yoga or meditation (48% vs. 40% in Delhi). “Mumbai always has a space constraint compared to Delhi, which has numerous lush green gardens. The lack of proper jogging tracks might be a reason for people to prefer yoga or meditation in Mumbai to walking and running. Yoga/Meditation is also a preferred option for Mumbaikars as it can even be done at home,” added Pant. ‘Gymming’ and sports are other exercise options that dwellers of the two cities indulge in, with 28 and 17 percent of respondents voting for them in Mumbai and Delhi respectively. Exercise - preferably walking - the answer to Indians' weight control ...Click Here