Coffee and cake are the most popular foods with the UK’s fitness community (beer is a close third)
December 15, 2017 - by fusionmedia
– Runners and cyclists in the UK covered 1.1 billion km and all they could talk about was coffee and cake
– You can still eat the foods you like as long as you stay active
– Strava members value cake and pizza ahead of energy bars and diet fads
– Brits crave beer and wine more than chocolate
– Exercising with friends, and setting clear goals mean you’ll do more exercise and stick at it for longer
Data from the social network for athletes, Strava, has shown that despite racking up a total of over 1.1 billion km of running, cycling and swimming, Brits still haven’t fallen out of love with the simple pleasures of coffee and cake. Using mentions of foods in activity titles, out of the top ten talked about foods on Strava, there’s no sign of high performance sports nutrition or faddy celebrity diets – just good old fashioned feel good food and drink.
Beer and wine come in next on the list, showing that it’s possible to lead an active and healthy lifestyle without having to give up what you enjoy.
The average Strava member ran 16km a month (men) or 13km a month (women), with the community including anyone from first time parkrunners to ultra marathoners. It’s this community that is the key to success, according to data, with those who exercise with friends found to be 22% more active overall. Meeting up with friends and like-minded people is a brilliant motivational tool to keep us exercising through the winter months, and simply setting a goal also means that you’re more likely to keep it up all year.
In fact, 9 out of 10 people who set a goal in January were still active 10 months later, and if you can manage to exercise at least once a week, you are 30% more likely to keep exercising all year round.
Susie Chan, a runner based in Surrey and a member of Strava, said: “Meeting up with people gets me out the door and keeps training sessions fun. The key is to make sure running is enjoyable, and rewarding. The world is full of fad diets but I think exercise can allow you some well earned treats. I drink wine some, okay most, evenings; it’s my treat.” Although, having completed the Marathon des Sables and London Marathon in the space of two weeks earlier this year, Susie has probably earned more of a treat than most.
The data was compiled as part of Strava’s annual Year in Sport report. Tens of millions of athletes across 195 countries call Strava the home of their active life. Together they upload more than one million times a day, creating a uniquely positive community for sport.
For more information, please visit www.strava.com.