A new survey by Better has found that a lack of time and a lack of confidence are the main reasons people give for not going to the gym.

Vanity reasons such as losing weight and toning up are important motivators to gym goers but over 11% are motivated by the positive impact exercise has on their mental health. Young people are perhaps more aware of the positive impact of exercise on their mental health as 44% of people who said this was their main motivation are aged 18-34.

Despite having a variety of motivations for attending the gym, people find many reasons to skip workouts.  7% of people said that if they had just done their hair they wouldn’t go to the gym and it seems the Welsh are the most hair-conscious as 14% of respondents from Wales use this excuse!

Lack of confidence is a well-known reason why people don’t go to gym classes, this is particularly prevalent amongst young women, with 22% of women aged 18-34 citing this as their main reason.

Some of the other reasons for not attending the gym being ‘lazy’, ‘don’t want to be inside’, and the gym being ‘too noisy & smelly’ and some respondents are blaming a phobia to lycra (4.9%)!

Lack of time and confidence (42% & 27%) are the main excuses for not exercising given by people who want to use the gym to help improve their mental health.

People who go to the gym every day are more focused on keeping fit (34%) than losing weight (21%). Of those who never go to the gym, over 40% still said their main concern was losing weight and 18% said it was keeping fit.

Despite the increasing popularity of yoga and Pilates, targeted classes such as bums & tums (24%) are the most popular amongst gym goers, with HIIT and Body Pump coming close second.

Spin classes and targeted classes e.g. bums & tums are the favoured options for those who said losing weight was their main motivation for going to the gym (21% & 24%) whilst yoga and Pilates were more popular with those who said improving mental health was their main motivation (20.5% & 19%).

Men are more likely to spend more money on gym memberships, accounting for 68% and 74% of those paying £61-80 per month and £80+ per month respectively. The most common price for women sat in the much smaller £16-25 bracket.

Lack of time was the most common reason across all regions for not attending the gym or fitness classes. However, lack of confidence is a big factor in the Midlands with over 22% of respondents saying this would put them off. 7% of respondents in both the South West and South East blamed a phobia of lycra for skipping their workout.

Lots of people are still making excuses for not attending fitness classes, however people are becoming more aware of the positive impact exercise has on mental health.

At Better there are a variety of classes to help get you started in your gym routine. Find out more here.