November 18th, 2019, Zafar Shah
Most participants said the 2019 challenge helped them to meet their fitness goals
The overwhelming majority of Dubai residents who participated in the 2019 Dubai Fitness Challenge said it helped them meet their fitness goals to either a great extent (60%) or to some degree (35%), new YouGov research reveals.
The research was carried out among participants of this year’s challenge and shows that most of them joined to start a healthy life (55%) and to remain motivated in order to stay fit and active (54%). Many also participated to get out of their comfort zone (40%), to continue the ritual of participating every year (36%) and to interact with fellow fitness enthusiasts (32%).
Furthermore, almost all enthusiasts had specific fitness goals that they wanted to achieve through this initiative. Weight loss (47%) was the top ambition, with more women (67%) than men (37%) saying this. Many also joined to improve overall fitness (46%) or to increase their stamina (45%).
YouGov data shows that people seem to be happy with the results of the challenge and it had a positive impact on their health and wellness. For all the listed fitness goals a huge majority thinks this initiative has helped them in meeting their targets for this year.
As a tradition, this initiative challenges people to complete 30 minutes of activity a day for 30 days. Of the residents who participated this year, more than three in five (63%) claimed to log at least 30 minutes of activity a day. One in eleven (9%) pushed themselves further and clocked in more than 60 minutes.
An interesting introduction to the initiative - ‘The Dubai Fitness App’ was launched last year to make getting fit and working out easier. More than half of the participants (56%) who were aware of the initiative said they used the app as part of this year’s challenge. The main use of the app was for events and activity schedules (with 47% saying that) and to track workouts (41%).
The participants seem keen to continue their healthy ways with more than nine in ten (94%) who took part this year saying they are likely to join the challenge next year as well.
Data collected online by YouGov Omnibus around 500 respondents in the UAE between 4th and 11th November 2019 using YouGov’s panel of over 6 million people worldwide. Data is representative of the adult online population in the country