September revealed as month Scots take up new hobbies

A total of 29% say they still get a new ‘start of term’ feeling in September, whilst a seventh say they are more inclined to take up a new hobby.

And it seems many are really missing school sports, with almost a third of people from Scotland saying they have struggled to find any exercise they enjoy since school.

Athletics was revealed as Scots’ top school sport, with one in six naming it as their favourite, with swimming coming in second.

In general, men enjoyed PE lessons more than women, with 75% saying they liked school sports. And although many people may look back on their P.E. lessons negatively, there were lots of things people miss about them, with 35% saying they missed having fun whilst exercising, whilst a third miss being outside.

It seems many simply struggle to find a form of exercise they enjoy since school, with one in ten Scots saying they stopped working out completely for at least four years after school.

Harry Sowerby, Managing Director of British Military Fitness, commented: “At school, there are a wide variety of sports to get involved in and when we finish, it can be hard to find a sustainable form of exercise we enjoy. Whether it be an outdoor fitness class, playing rounders with your friends or joining your local netball club, there are many ways to work out that you can enjoy.”

Going alone is definitely not the preferred option with the research also revealing that 94% of those living in Scotland prefer group exercise, whilst playing in a team was the thing that 41% most missed about school sports.

Harry continued: “It’s great to see that so many people enjoy group exercise, it was one of the main reasons we set up BMF, we knew a lot of people loved working out together and missed that teamwork atmosphere of school sports.”

He added: “Exercise shouldn’t be a chore; admittedly it’s not always easy, but it shouldn’t be something we hate. An overwhelming 99% of people in this research agreed that enjoying exercise makes it much easier to achieve your fitness goals. My advice is to keep mixing it up – doing the same workouts in the gym every week will stop having an effect, mixing up your training is a great way to ensure your routine doesn’t get monotonous and you stay motivated.

“I found it really interesting how many people still get that new start of term feeling in September and get the urge to try something new, which is great. I would encourage people to just go for it - take up that hobby you might have been thinking about for years – what have you got to lose?”

To find out more about British Military Fitness, or to sign up for a free taster session, please visit www.britishmilitaryfitness.com