Indiantelevision.com Team

(17 October 2007 3:00 pm)

MUMBAI: In spite of the myriad benefits that exercise offers and exciting new launches in the health and wellness area, nearly three quarters (72 per cent ) of people in Delhi do not think they need to exercise.

55 per cent in Mumbai are of the same opinion, according to the latest Nielsen Omnibus study which gauged the exercise habits of people in Delhi and Mumbai.

Nielsen India associate director, client solutions Vatsala Pant says, "Clearly the benefits of exercising are not apparent to all, with most viewing it as curative with some of the view that only people with health problems need to exercise or they would only exercise if they put on weight. 'Prevention is better than cure' is definitely not a mantra they follow."

Accordingly, a third of Delhiites and 19 percent of Mumbaikars consider exercise as an activity exclusively for people with health problem and 21 per cent and 15 per cent of people in Delhi and Mumbai respectively would consider exercise only when they put on weight.

At the other end of the scale, only 28 per cent in Delhi and 45 per cent in Mumbai buy into the benefits of working out.

People in Delhi have taken to exercise more than those in Mumbai. The metro has 53 percent of respondents who are participating in some sort of exercise compared to 32 percent in Mumbai. The frequency of exercise also varies over the two cities. 89 percent of Delhites exercise once a week or more whereas only 78 per cent Mumbaikars exercise as frequently.

"The hectic lifestyles in metros don't leave people with much time to exercise, especially in cities like Mumbai where a lot of time is spent traveling to and fro from work. Even though people are aware of the benefits of exercise, few people have managed to slot some exercise into their daily routine," adds Pant.

Delhi and Mumbai have always had differences, and there is no exception when it comes to their choice of exercises. "Mumbai always has a space constraint compared to Delhi, which has numerous lush green gardens. The lack of proper jogging tracks might be a reason for people to prefer yoga or meditation in Mumbai to walking and running. Yoga/Meditation is also a preferred option for Mumbaikars as it can even be done at home," he says.

'Gymming' and sports are other exercise options that dwellers of the two cities indulge in, with 28 and 17 per cent of respondents voting for them in Mumbai and Delhi respectively.