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OS urges Brits to swap the gym for outdoor exercise

Press Office

| 4 minute read
OS believes the outdoors is the ultimate gym and has launched a new campaign encouraging people to exercise in the fresh air this winter instead of the gym.

It follows a survey carried out by OS among gym goers which revealed half of adults are being put off exercising because of the judgemental culture in gyms.

In response, OS’s ‘Our Gym is Better Than Yours’ campaign is full of alternative ideas for outdoor activity that can replicate the physical workouts inside a gym, with the added mental health benefits that being outside brings.

OS is encouraging people to exercise outdoors after survey revealed one in two people are put off indoor gyms because of judgemental culture.

Free trials of OS Maps app and exercise tips from OS Champions are all being made available as part of the campaign. The popular navigation app has hundreds of thousands of routes across Britain to follow that are great for walking, running, and cycling.

Survey findings

The poll of 2,000 adults found 25 per cent are too embarrassed to work out in a gym, and 27 per cent worry about what regular gym-goers will think of them.

Fifty-three per cent are put off by high membership costs and 32 per cent simply don’t have the motivation.

And one in five (18 per cent) feel anxious about asking for help, with 28 per cent concerned they wouldn’t use the equipment properly.

"Joining a gym isn't the only way to get your exercise in. Especially if you’re new to gym or exercise culture, it can seem like a very intimidating place to spend the amount of time you might want to. With the new-year rush hitting gyms across the country, a lower-impact way to start getting more exercise could be to simply spend more time outdoors. No matter what your level of expertise is, there are all sorts of outdoor activities you can do near you that would do you the world of good post-Christmas."

Nick Giles, OS's Managing Director for Leisure
The outdoors is the perfect way to escape gym bugbears such as not wiping down equipment and hogging apparatus while scrolling on your phone.

The study went on to find some of the most common bugbears among gym users, with the top one being those who don’t wipe down equipment after use (30 per cent).

A quarter (24 per cent) are annoyed by people who hog machines while simply scrolling on their phones.

Twenty-three per cent get wound up with people taking selfies in busy areas while other people are simply trying to get a workout in.

For the vast majority of exercisers (95 per cent), it’s important to them their exercise feels enjoyable, rather than a chore.

And 46 per cent of those polled via OnePoll.com would feel motivated to do their physical activity outdoors, compared to just 22 per cent who feel the same about using a gym.

A further 55 per cent have felt inspired to work out outside after spending time in nature.

Nearly three quarters (74 per cent) also say the cost of a gym membership has a significant impact on their decision to join one.

The primary reason people exercise is to boost their physical health (40 per cent), while 80 per cent believe it’s good for their mental wellbeing.

Nick added: “Outdoor exercise offers so much more than indoor gyms can. It’s not just about physical fitness – it’s about the freedom to explore, connecting with nature and the boost that brings to your mental health.

“Plus the outdoors is everywhere and it doesn’t have opening and closing times – you only have to leave your doorstep and you’re in it.

“With many finding the outdoors more inspiring to be in, 2025 could be a great year to swap weights for walks.”

Top 10 gym bugbears according to the survey:

  1. Not wiping down equipment after use
  2. Hogging machines while scrolling on their phone
  3. Taking selfies in busy areas
  4. Filming workouts in crowded spaces
  5. Treating the gym as a social hangout
  6. Excessive grunting during exercises
  7. Leaving weights scattered everywhere
  8. Overly loud conversations on Bluetooth headsets
  9. Dropping weights dramatically for attention
  10. Using multiple machines at once without sharing

For more information about the ‘Our Gym is Better Than Yours’ campaign visit: Our Gym - OS GetOutside

By Press Office

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