The French claim to have a stable physical activity for two years. Yoga is one of the most popular disciplines.
- According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity alone is responsible for 10% of deaths in Europe
- Sedentariness corresponds to the time spent sitting or lying down.
- Physical inactivity is less than 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week.
More than two years of health crisis, confinements and curfews, and yet the French feel in good shape. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by the Union sport et cycle (USC), published on Tuesday March 22. The participants answered various questions concerning their state of form, their sports practice and its evolution since the beginning of the health crisis. The analysis of these data establishes the form index of the respondents at 12/20. Clearly better than what ANSES suggested, which affirmed last February that 95% of French people were below their needs in terms of physical activity!
Beginning of the restitution of our Observatory of the form of the French ????
What is the state of form of the French after 2 years of pandemic? How have physical and sporting activities evolved? How did the practice of sport at home develop?
Answer elements ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/iGCubpikkl
– Union Sport & Cycle (@UNIONs_c) March 22, 2022
A majority of fit people
A total of 5,000 people were interviewed between January and February as part of this study. Out of 100 respondents, 61 say they are in good shape, 42 moderately in good shape and 12 not in good shape. 83% of respondents have practiced physical activity and sport in the last twelve months. This figure has been fairly stable for two years, with particularities depending on the age group. Thus, those over 18 have been more active since the start of the pandemic, while those over 55 have done less sport overall. “The vast majority of French people aspire to be physically fit”, notes Jean-Philippe Frey, head of studies at the Union sport et cycle. 91% of respondents believe that it is important or even very important to be in good physical condition.
Inequalities between women and men
But not everyone succeeds: compared to men, women feel less fit. For Gaëlle Frizon de Lamotte, founder of the yoga and pilates platform OLY Be, interviewed at the USC press conference, this difference is linked to the mental load that women bear: “The figures from this Observatory perfectly illustrate the difficulties of women in reconciling their obligations (often more numerous than those of men) with regular physical activity.“
What are the popular activities?
The health crisis has accelerated the practice of sport at home, among the most practiced disciplines, yoga is in the lead, followed by bodybuilding and fitness. Outdoors, hiking is the big winner: 65% of respondents have done so in the last twelve months. Swimming and cycling are also frequently practiced sports. Padel, climbing, dancing and even horse riding have been in the top 10 of the sports most often started since the first quarter of 2020.
Differentiate sedentary lifestyle and physical activity
During the presentation of the results, Grégory Ninot of the Desbrest Institute of Epidemiology and Public Health recalled that a sedentary lifestyle “kills more in the world than tobacco”. However, these results are declarative: they are based on the responses of the participants, which may differ from reality. Also, we must distinguish sport from physical activity, as explained by Pr. François Carré, cardiologist at the University Hospital of Rennes: “You can play sports while being sedentary, he says. You can be healthy while being unhealthy.” The ministry of sports recommends spending less than seven hours sitting each day, between getting up and going to bed, and breaking up sedentary periods. For this, after having spent an hour sitting, you must take a break of at least one minute, or 5 to 10 minutes every 90 minutes and remain standing during this time, walking slowly, or simply moving.
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