Trends in Popular Forms of Exercise 1

Today, I reviewed data on participation in 11 popular sports and forms of fitness activities. These data are available in great detail on SBRnet, which I recommended in previous posts to all who need comprehensive data on sports. The data are gathered annually by the National Sporting Goods Association. They provide valuable clues to trends in demand for sporting goods, but they are only indicators of the extent to which Americans are getting enough exercise for good health by participating in these sports and fitness activities.

One problem is that they define a participant as one 7 years of age or older who takes part in a sport more than once a year or at least 6 times a year in certain sports. Thus one could be counted as a participant with a very low level of participation. The data also include the numbers who are frequent participants which, for most sports and fitness activities, is defined as participating at least 110 days a year. To meet the CDC criteria for suffiicient exercise for good health, one has to exercise 30 minutes 5 days a week, or about 150 days a year, or vigorously for 20 minutes 3 days a week or 250 days a year. Thus even the NSGA estimates of frequent participants could include many who do not get enough exercise for good health.

The NSGA data also do not show how many people participate in two or more sports or fitness activities occasionally or frequently. There probably are many such people. I think NSGA should refine its surveys to capture data on people who participate in two or more sports. I would think sporting goods marketers would like to know that and that, if they did, they could design unique package deals of sporting goods. Would skis or snowboards and golf clubs combined in one deal be an appealing package? How about package deals of skiing and golfing vacations?

I was not surprised that the latest data show major increases in less-than-frequrent and frequent participation in exercise walking. Walking for exercise is easy to do and inexpensive. You can do it right from your home, and physicians often suggest it for people who are not active. It also is consistently the number 1 fitness activity for seniors.

I'll say more about the SBRnet-NSGA data in later posts.