Technology has become all-pervasive among the millennial lot in urban India. That is no secret. And social media add to that. And what you have is a not-so-healthy formula, when it comes to bulging waistlines and low stamina levels.
At least that’s what a pan-India study, commissioned by Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, and sportswear brand PUMA, along with market research agency Kantar IMRB, has revealed while delving into the current state of physical activity and sports adoption in the country.
The study, covering 3924 respondents in the age bracket of 18-40 years (both male and female), was spread across 18 cities - Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, Kolkata, Cochin, Ghaziabad, Goa, Gurugram, Guwahati, Jaipur, Lucknow, Ludhiana, Patna, Raipur, and Surat.
It found that 1/3rd of the total population surveyed had not done any physical activity, even once, in the past one year. Most respondents in the study, which also assessed the barriers to playing sport regularly and the motivation behind it, blamed ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not playing.
However, the research added that the same respondents also spent close to 4-5 hours on social media, watching TV, personal phone conversations and usage of various messaging platforms on a typical working day (all put together).
Skipper Kohli, a fitness freak himself, who also runs his own athleisure brand, Wrogn, was not very kicked with the findings.
“It is shocking to see that one-third of the country has not done any kind of physical activity in the last one year. When you are physically fit, you are more energised to take on challenges. I have experienced this personally, and therefore strongly believe in leading an active lifestyle,” the 29-year-old said.
He also felt that the trend of technology and social media gaining preference over health and fitness had to change.
“Sports can be seamlessly integrated into our daily life – one can do it anywhere and at any time,” he added.
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Interestingly, football-loving Goa topped the list with 89% of the respondents having played a sport at least once in the last 1 month, followed by Hyderabad and Mumbai. IT hub Gurgaon, and state capitals Raipur and Patna fared badly though.
“The study brings out alarming facts about India’s adoption of physical activity, and it is essential to take corrective steps to address this situation. Playing sports is a simple yet effective solution that can be implemented into everyday life,” Abhishek Ganguly, Managing Director, PUMA India, said.
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