Anytime Fitness Commissions Survey on Body Image

by Stuart Goldman (Executive Editor, Club Industry)

In a new survey commissioned by Anytime Fitness, 76 percent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed said they feel the same or worse about their bodies this year than they did last year.

In a new survey commissioned by Anytime Fitness, Hastings, MN, 76 percent of the more than 1,000 adults surveyed said they feel the same or worse about their bodies this year compared to last year.

The survey's release comes a few weeks before the official start of summer, when Americans begin to make plans to visit the beach or their neighborhood swimming pool. In the survey, 45 percent of participants said they dread the beach or feel more self-conscious after either slacking off their fitness routines or gaining weight in the past year.

One in three adults (33.7 percent) has a low or very low body image, according to the survey. Anytime Fitness says that percentage coincides with the 35.7 percent of U.S. adults whom the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists as clinically obese.

Also in the survey, more than 20 percent of respondents said they are not "fit" enough to be seen in a gym.

"The survey results provide even more reasons for us to get serious about addressing this country's obesity crisis," Chuck Runyon, CEO and co-founder of Anytime Fitness, said in a statement. "Not only does obesity cause serious health and economic problems, but it also hurts our self-esteem. The solutions, however, are pretty simple: We need to make healthy diets and exercise programs more accessible to everyone."

An infographic of the Anytime Fitness survey can be found here.