Most Canadians Have Abandoned Last Year’s Fitness Resolution

Most BC and Alberta Residents Have Abandoned Last Year’s Fitness Resolution

Survey Also Shows Majority Have Home Exercise Equipment

January 4, 2010 (Vancouver, BC) – A new Ipsos Reid online poll conducted on behalf of Fitness Town Canada reveals that British Columbia and Alberta residents haven’t done a good job at keeping up with their fitness and healthy lifestyle resolutions from last New Year’s. Only one-third (33%) of those who made a fitness or healthy lifestyle resolution say they are still sticking to it, with British Columbians (37% sticking to it) doing a little better than Albertans (24% sticking to it). One-quarter (24%) of those making a resolution kept it for a month or less. Another quarter (26%) kept their resolution for two to three months, and 16% kept at it for four to eleven months.

Among those who have stopped keeping their resolution, the top reasons cited are a “lack of motivation” (42%) and a “lack of time” (25%). Only 7% say they stopped because they “actually achieved their goal”.

Overall, about one-quarter (24%) of British Columbians and Albertans made a New Year’s resolution last year regarding their fitness or healthy lifestyle, including 26% of BC residents and 21% of Alberta residents. Women (33% vs. 15% of men) and younger residents (30% among 18-34 years vs. 23% among 35-54 years, 20% among 55+ years) were more likely to have made a resolution about fitness or a healthy lifestyle last year.

Among those who made a resolution last year, the top motivations for continuing with their resolution would be “having a regular schedule/program created for me” (47%) and “having personal support such as a trainer or nutritionist” (38%). Other motivations mentioned include “having better equipment” (13%) and “more knowledge about fitness/working out” (11%).

Home Fitness Equipment

Overall, 55% of British Columbia and Alberta residents report having at least one type of fitness equipment in their home, with the most common types of equipment including free weights (29% of all residents have at home), a treadmill (21%) and a stationary bike (15%). Albertans (63%) are more likely than BC residents (49%) to have at least one piece of home fitness equipment. Women (62%) are also more likely than men (49%) to report having a piece of home fitness equipment.

However, the survey also revealed that only one-quarter (25%) of British Columbians and Albertans with home fitness equipment actually use that equipment for regular workouts (21% of BC residents, 29% of Alberta residents). Others use their home equipment for irregular workouts (49%), to supplement their gym membership (6%) or for hanging clothes/laundry (5%). Thirteen percent say their home equipment never gets used.



About Fitness Town

Fitness Town specializes in supplying the home and commercial markets with mid to high-end fitness equipment and accessories. With eight stores across British Columbia and Alberta, Fitness Town prides itself on providing an unparalleled selection of brand name equipment, accessories, supplements and educational materials for customers at all levels of fitness. For more information on Fitness Town, please visit www.fitnesstown.ca

These are some of the findings of an Ipsos Reid online poll conducted between December 17 and 23, 2009. For this survey, we interviewed 1,551 adults (802 in British Columbia and 749 in Alberta) from Ipsos’ Canadian online panel. Weighting was then employed to balance demographics and ensure that the sample’s composition reflects that of the adult population in British Columbia and Alberta according to Census data and to provide results intended to approximate the sample universe. A survey with an unweighted probability sample of this size (n=1,551) and a 100% response rate would have an estimated margin of error of +/-2.5 percentage points, 19 times out of 20 of what the results would have been had the entire population of adults in BC and Alberta been polled. All sample surveys and polls may be subject to other sources of error, including, but not limited to coverage error, and measurement error.