Hardly anybody! According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics only about 16% of teens and adults report that they participated in sports or physical activity on an average day. The number of people in the same age range that reported they watched TV on an average day? 80%

It is just too bad that watching TV won’t give us the health benefits of exercise, since we seem to like doing it so much more.

I am really not sure why the Bureau of Labor Statistics has collected this data (maybe they are concerned about people calling in sick?) but it turns out that how often we exercise has something to do with where we live. People who live in the regions of the country on the Pacific Ocean, those in New England and those living in the mountains all are more likely to participate in sports and exercise than are the rest of us.

People with higher levels of education were more likely to participate in sports and exercise. People with a Bachelor’s Degree are more than twice as likely to exercise than are those with a high school diploma or less.

When we do exercise, WALKING is the most popular of the types of exercise in the United States. The second most popular way to exercise was to play BASKETBALL. Using the cardiovascular equipment at the gym came in next in popularity.

For those of us who exercise with a companion, men seemed more likely to exercise with friends while women exercised with family members. About half of people who exercise report that they exercise alone.

Most people who exercised scheduled their sport or physical activity around other activities – like work. Employed people were most likely to exercise in the late afternoon or evening hours on days they work, and in the morning on non-workdays.

It seems that many Americans are not participating in physical activities at the level that would help them keep well and fit. I hope we can find a way to do better at this.

Resource: www.bls.gov/tus/