Belgians exercise more now than they did before the coronavirus crisis and the lockdown, according to results from a survey conducted by the University of Antwerp.
30% to 50% of respondents exercise and move more during the lockdown than they did before, mainly because they have more time, according to the survey.
"The fact that people suddenly start moving more is probably due to the changed schedule: 61.1% of the respondents indicate that they have more time now than before the lockdown," said researchers Michelle Symons and Carmem Meira Cunha.
Related News
- Saint-Gilles seeks cycling boost with free biking lessons
- Flemish skateparks and football fields can reopen from Monday
- Man seen kayaking in Brussels pond amid coronavirus lockdown
The use of "activity trackers," which send you a reminder via your smartphone or show you how well you are doing, increased by 12.5% during the lockdown, and almost half of the users (44,6%) indicate that they intend to continue to use these applications after the coronavirus crisis.
Online classes, via social media, are widely used and followed as well. "Videos on YouTube scored particularly well, and here, too, respondents indicated that they would like to continue using this technology after the lockdown," the researchers said.
Additionally, 90.9% of respondents had never taken an online sports class before the crisis, according to the survey. 'That percentage dropped by no less than 18.9% during the crisis," they added.
Maïthé Chini
The Brussels Times
