Survey finds only 3% of Kiwis achieve their fitness goals

While 88% of New Zealanders have set themselves a fitness goal in the last year, new research from TomTom reveals only 3% will reach their goals.

Nearly a quarter of respondents to the TomTom say they reach their goals more often than not, 38% reported a success rate of half the time or less, while 3% report utter failure every time. Women seem to have a lower success rate achieving their goals than men (36% vs 48%). The survey also found that while most New Zealanders participate in some form of exercise, there are still 5% who do not exercise at all.

With January being the month of New Year's resolutions, TomTom's research suggests Kiwis are an aspirational lot, with behaviour falling short of good intention. 65% of those polled are aiming to increase their exercise levels in the next 12 months, despite only 40% managing to do so in previous year.

This makes New Zealand more active than average when compared to the overall global survey findings. Only 25% of survey respondents increased their exercise levels in the past year, and only 41% are intending to do so over the coming 12 months. Globally, however, those who make the commitment to an exercise goal are more likely to stick with it.

Perhaps not surprisingly, motivation and having time to exercise were found to be the two biggest challenges no matter which country.

The survey found that the best form of motivation is the sense of accomplishment that comes from after completing the exercise (87%), followed by weight loss (84%). Having fun during exercising (83%) is also a key motivator.

TomTom Senior Marketing Manager for Asia Pacific Winnie Kwan explains "maintaining good health and getting fitter are generally the key reasons we exercise.

"Our new range of GPS Sport Watches are exactly the kind of tool that can motivate runners, swimmers and cyclists to reach those goals they are setting for themselves, yet struggling to achieve."

* The poll was carried out for TomTom by Nine Rewards between October and November 2013, from a panel of 1025 respondents across Australia and New Zealand.