We’ve put these exciting exercise statistics together to help boost up your energy and encourage you to go out and move your body.
Everyday exercise and movement are crucial to leading a healthy lifestyle. However, not all of us can proudly say that we work out every day. Our modern way of living requires a lot of sitting down and being on the computer for hours. After all the work we do throughout the day, we usually feel too tired to exercise. The good thing is that exercising doesn’t only mean going to the gym and sweating while lifting weights—it also means walking, running, swimming, surfing, bowling with your friends, or dancing to your favorite beats.
Find out more about exercise and its benefits, and read some amazing and surprising exercise facts and stats that will definitely change your life for the better.
The Top 8 Most Exciting Exercise Statistics
- An average person aged 18–65 exercises only 2 hours a week.
- Older adults should be physically active 150 minutes every week.
- Less than 25% of the US population gets enough physical activity.
- Only 6 states require physical education in every grade in the US.
- Regular exercise can reduce the risk of a major illness by up to 50%.
- Exercising eases the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
- Working out in the morning can make you sick.
- One hour of bowling can burn between 219 and 327 calories.
Exercise Statistics by Age Group
1. One in 3 children in the UK could be considered physically inactive.
(BBC)
According to the exercise facts for kids, children should at least have an hour of physical activity every day. This should be accomplished both in school and outside it, and it includes active play, walking, fitness activities, swimming, dancing, etc. The studies also showed that children aged 9–12 were the most active every day among kids aged 5–17.
2. An average person aged 18–64 exercises only 2 hours a week.
(Washingtonian)
According to the CDC and its physical activity statistics, an average adult gets only 17 minutes of fitness activity per day, which is 2.5 times less than the average teenager. Studies show that adults spend the most time fishing or hunting—while these qualify as physical activities, they can’t be marked as “vigorous.”
3. Nearly 27% of students don’t exercise at all.
(Bachelors Degree Online)
Among college students, exercise statistics indicate only 18.2% exercised 3–7 days a week, 55.1% reported exercising 1–4 days a week, and 26.7% said they don’t exercise at all.
Transitioning from high school to college can be very hard. Students leave their families to live in dorms or apartments, there’s a lot more homework than before, and most of them probably need to work too. However, the importance of engaging in physical activity shouldn’t be neglected.
4. Older adults should be physically active 150 minutes every week.
(Health)
Physical activity statistics from 2019 confirm that when older adults can’t get enough physical activity due to some chronic conditions, they should be as active as their condition lets them. By being physically active, they will not only have fewer medical problems, but doing so will also prolong their lives and improve their quality of life.
American Exercise Statistics
5. Less than 25% of the US population gets enough physical activity, according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
(Time)
American guidelines suggest that every person should engage in at least 150 minutes of moderate physical exercise or 75 minutes of energetic exercise each week. Adults should also engage in muscle-strengthening activities twice weekly or more.
However, according to the exercise statistics in America, only 23% of those aged 18–65 meet these guidelines. Furthermore, around 32% only meet one of them, and around 45% don’t engage in enough physical activity nor enough muscle-strengthening activities.
6. In Mississippi, only 13.5% of the population gets enough physical activity.
(Time)
The latest report from the NCHS shows that, on average, people who live in the Southern states get less physical activity than people who live on the West Coast or in the Northeast. Studies found that lower activity levels were often associated with high rates of unemployment, disability, or poor health.
7. Football is the most popular sport in high school among boys.
(Statista, Stadium Talk)
According to recent physical activity statistics, around 4.53 million male students participated in some kind of sports program in high school in the 2017–2018 school year. Football was the most popular sport among high school boys—more than a million of them participated.
8. Only 6 states require physical education in every grade.
(Shape America)
Even though physical activity is very important for our health and is something that children from a young age should learn and do, only six states require physical education for all K–12 students. These states are Illinois, Hawaii, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New York, and Vermont. Knowing this, adults should encourage kids to be active outside of school.
The Benefits of Exercise
9. Regular exercise can reduce the risk of a major illness by up to 50%.
(NHS)
Exercise and heart disease statistics show that regularly exercising can reduce the risk of developing a major illness like heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, or cancer. Even though people have neglected the importance of exercise and physical activity for a long time, we now know that it’s necessary in order to live long and healthy lives.
10. Going on exercise dates can help.
(The Conversation)
Exercise not only offers physical health benefits, but it also builds better relationships and emotional connections between people. One of the more notable exercise facts confirms that working out with your partner has a good impact on your relationship. One study has shown that partners who worked out together reported more positive effects than those who didn’t.
11. People who are less active have a 20%–30% increased chance of death.
(World Health Organization)
Statistics about exercise benefits show that regular exercise can lower the risk of death by 20%–30%. Regularly working out keeps you healthy and fit, it improves muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness, and it lowers the chances of stroke and diabetes.
Exercise and Mental Health Statistics
12. Exercise is known to directly fight stress.
(Mayo Clinic)
Exercise positively impacts our bodies in various ways, and one of them relates to pumping up our endorphins. Endorphins are known as our happy hormones, which boost up our energy and make us feel good.
Running, hiking, swimming, or partaking in a good tennis match will all boost endorphins. And the exercise and stress facts confirm that boosting endorphins this way lowers the stress and tension we might be feeling.
13. Exercise eases the symptoms of depression and anxiety.
(Mayo Clinic)
Even though working out is the last thing on someone’s mind when they suffer from depression or anxiety, it can help them feel better. Plus, it can also keep depression and anxiety from coming back once a person feels better.
The connection between working out and depression or anxiety isn’t completely clear. However, the depression and exercise facts confirm that once a person gets the motivation to engage in any type of physical activity, their depression and anxiety ease.
14. Wellness programs have been known to improve employee productivity.
(WellSteps)
While there are a lot of reasons why someone has low productivity, a lack of exercise seems to be a cause at least half the time. All in all, it looks like wellness programs that improve employee health really do work.
Helpful Exercise Statistics and Facts
15. Working out in the morning can make you sick.
(Popsugar)
One of the more surprising fitness facts shows that working out in the morning on an empty stomach can make you feel sick and nauseous. When you wake up in the morning, your empty stomach is full of acid, which bounces around when you start working out.
If you love working out in the morning and if that brings you energy, experts suggest getting up a little earlier and having at least an apple before your workout. It has everything you need to feel good after working out.
16. Fitness trackers can keep you motivated.
(The Conversation)
Facts and statistics about exercise show that owning a fitness tracker, like one that counts your steps, or having an app that monitors your everyday activity or food intake can have a positive impact on people who want to lose weight or even just lead a healthy lifestyle. Often wanting to beat the previous day’s score, people “listen” to their fitness trackers and do more each day.
17. One hour of bowling can burn between 219 and 327 calories.
(Best Medicine, Harvard Health)
Bowling is a fun social activity that happens to offer some good exercise. Bowling exercise facts indicate that you use 134 muscles in the sport. They’re only activated for a short period of time but repetitively throughout the game.
Bowling can also speed up your metabolism, and the risk of having a stroke or heart attack becomes much lower. Exercise statistics from 2019 also showed that people who have good relationships with their family and friends have fewer health problems in the future.
FAQ
How much does the average person exercise?
According to research from Penn State and the University of Maryland, an average person exercises around two hours each week. That is just half how much is recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Washingtonian)
What happens in your body when you exercise?
When you exercise, your temperature rises because your muscles need energy, so your body burns calories, your heart also gets stronger because it needs to pump more blood through your body. Working out also releases endorphins, which positively affects your behavior and mental health, as well as your brain.
(Health Designs)
What percentage of people exercise daily?
According to the CDC’s physical activity statistics, only 23% of people aged 18–65 meet the nation’s exercise guidelines.
(Time)
What are some reasons why exercise is good for your health?
Regular exercise doesn’t just help you control your weight—it also reduces the risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and even cancer. It can also help you quit smoking and improve your mental health and thinking.
(MedlinePlus)
What is the most popular exercise activity in the US?
According to years of research following different groups of the US population aged 15 and older, the most popular exercise is walking. For around 30% of the population, walking was the only form of physical activity people achieved every day.
(U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
What happens if you don’t exercise?
If you don’t exercise regularly, you risk becoming deconditioned, and your muscles will weaken. This includes the muscles you need for your everyday life, for example, your lungs and heart. You may also find yourself becoming breathless in shorter amounts of time.
(My Lungs My Life)
To Sum Up
As you can see, these exercise statistics demonstrate the importance of exercising regularly and being physically active. Keep in mind that exercise not only helps you lose weight and look amazing, but you’ll also stay healthy and have fewer health issues in the future.
No matter if you’re a child, adult, or senior, be active as much as you can. Walk, go running, or just go bowling with your friends.
