Although most Americans who responded to a recent poll said that being fit and looking good were very important to them, most of those said they were not in good shape.

That contradiction surfaced in a survey recently by Reportlinker, which set out to determine attitudes towards fitness and exercise.

Key findings:

• 77% say being in good shape and looking good is very important to them
• But 42% consider themselves to be overweight
• And only 37% of respondents believe they are in good shape
• Also, 56% of respondents are concerned they are not strong or muscular enough
• And 75% admit to comparing how they look to others

For those of us who do work out:

Where?

Joining a fitness center is the most popular way to exercise, mentioned 40% of the time, followed by basketball and swimming (35% each), jogging (34%) and yoga (21%).

How often?

• 39% of people work out between three and five hours per week
• The lack of motivation stands as one of the biggest obstacles to working out regularly as only 31% say exercising is a habit
• Setting goals for more motivation & performance
• 30% of respondents are more likely to work out if they set themselves a personal record.
• 48% of joggers say they use a smartphone to track miles while 46% of swimmers use one to monitor performance at the pool.

To see all the survey results click here.

About Reportlinker Insight

Reportlinker Insight combines analysis and exclusive investigations in covering innovations, social and economics megatrends to understand the world of tomorrow. For more information, please visit http://www.reportlinker.com/insight/