FAMILIES THAT PLAY TOGETHER, STAY TOGETHER

There is much research to suggest that the hectic nature of modern life means it is becoming increasingly difficult for families to spend a lot quality time with one another, and when they do you may think it’s limited to activities like watching TV, playing video games or going to the local bowling alley, cinema or theme park. There is however a growing trend of families adopting new, more inventive ways of spending time with one another - through exercise.

That’s according to a new study from David Lloyd Clubs which found that over a third (39%) of families claim to regularly exercising together, with more now partaking in this activity as a unit over more traditional family bonding activities – including board games (38%), reading (36%) and going to sporting events (17%).

So what sporting activities are families most likely to do with one another? Walking tops the list of most popular forms of exercise for families (71%), followed by bike rides (42%), jogging (26%), tennis (20%) and swimming (16%) rounding off the top five

Families may be spending more time working out together, but the survey also served to reveal a slight disparity when it comes to the amount of exercise being done by parents and kids each week. That’s to say, the study of 2000 Brits found that children currently average around five hours of exercise a week outside of school, with one in ten (7%) even doing in excess of 12 hours.

Surprisingly adults average closer to just four hours on a weekly basis, suggesting older generations could perhaps learn a thing or two from their offspring when it comes to stepping up their weekly workout routine. 

The trends study has been commissioned by Europe’s leading health and fitness group David Lloyd Clubs to mark the relaunching of 14 newly acquired clubs across the UK including Purley, Southampton, Northwood, Royal Berkshire and Manchester following a total £12m investment programme.  Families lie at the heart of the health and fitness group and all the new David Lloyd Clubs are introducing a range of family friendly facilities including DL Kids clubs and All Star tennis and swimming lessons as well as welcoming DLicious lounge areas where adults and children can relax together after a day of activities. The survey also provided a regional breakdown of how people’s exercise habits vary across the nation.

People of Lancashire were found to be the most active, averaging almost five and half hours per week, per person. North Yorkshire finished in second on five hours, with Warwickshire completing the top three (4 hours 48 mins). Hampshire residents meanwhile were found to be doing the least amount of exercise of anywhere in the UK, averaging 4 hours 12 mins a week. The full top five can be seen below: 

Separate from this, the study also revealed that - in spite of the rise of exercise as a family activity in recent years – there still remains distractive hazards to ensuring this number continues to grow in the years to come. 

This was mainly found to be TV, with the study revealing that families across the UK currently spend an average 14 hours a week sat in front of the goggle box, with one in eight (15%) even going as far to watch more than 26 hours. Smartphone addiction was also highlighted as another potential blockage, with families spending an average of 13 hours glued to their handsets, with one in eight (15%) again exceeding 26 hours on their mobiles each week.

Arguably it is these types of figures which would go some way to explaining that, in spite of exercise coming to play an ever more important role in families’ day-to-day lives, a whopping of 71% of parents still don’t think their family gets enough exercise together, underlining the need for steps to be taken to rectify the issue. 

Bruce Gardener at David Lloyd Clubs said: “Our research shows that exercising together as a family is a growing fitness trend, with the activity now up there with more longstanding ways of spending quality time with loved ones – including going to the cinema, playing board games, cooking and reading – demonstrating just how important a role it has come to play as a means of bonding with one another.

“We hope that through the opening of new David Lloyd Clubs in even more places across the UK, we’ll help encourage more and more families to get swept up in the trend. Our clubs provide the perfect haven where families can spend time under one roof in a warm and friendly environment, while ensuring everyone stays fit and healthy at the same time.”

-ENDS-

For more information please contact [email protected] or 020 7234 9160

 Notes to editors:

Research conducted by OnePoll on behalf of David Lloyd Clubs. 2000 adults were surveyed.

About David Lloyd Leisure Group

Including its most recent acquisitions of  The Academy Harrogate and Malaspina in Milan, the David Lloyd Leisure Group has 111 clubs -  98 clubs in the UK and a further 13 clubs across Europe, comprising its two brands David Lloyd Clubs and Harbour Clubs (of which there are three -  Chelsea, Notting Hill and Kensington). 

On 1 June 2017 it acquired 14 UK health and racquets clubs from Virgin Active as well as opened its third Harbour Club at Kensington following a £5.5m investment and redevelopment programme. It also announced it had exchanged contracts to buy The Park Club in Chiswick, London and The Academy Club in Harrogate.

It has approximately 570,000 members and employs around 8100 people.  This includes an expert health and fitness team of over 2000 while it contracts the services of more than 680 tennis professionals.

Across all clubs, David Lloyd Leisure has over 180 swimming pools (of which half are indoor) and offers over 13,000 exercise classes per week.

Every week over 25,000 children learn to swim at David Lloyd Leisure, 16000 children learn to play in the Tennis All Stars Coaching Programme.

David Lloyd Club’s racquets facilities are unparalleled with over 1000 tennis courts as well as over 400 badminton and squash courts.

Additional facilities include health and beauty spas, club lounges with free internet access, crèches, nurseries and specialist sports shops.