While tradition would have you believe that the beginning of a new year has people itching to lose weight and get fit, a recent survey suggests that might not be the case. Conducted by Harris Poll on behalf of Muscle Maker Grill, new numbers found that while 81% of Americans don't believe they've reached their quote-unquote "ideal body type," it's not necessarily a priority.
The study took a look at the concept of an "ideal body" from a few different angles. First, Muscle Maker Grill wanted to know what Americans would sacrifice for their perfect body type. The survey required participants to choose between alcohol, social media, sex, and their cell phones. Alcohol was the winner at 37%, probably because it's the only option that has any correlation with diet and weight, shortly followed by social media at 29%.
Sex and cell phones were even lower at 8% and 7%, respectively, suggesting that the desire for an ideal body type might not be on par with other basic necessities and vices that we value in our day to day lives. In fact, nowadays, Americans are more concerned with feeling healthy than looking it, according to 86% of survey respondents.
Rather than exercising and toning up, 59% of participants felt it was more beneficial to eat healthily and maintain a steady diet. In other words, it's what's on the inside that counts.
In general, the results of the survey suggest that Americans are beginning to reject the very premise of it. We've said it once and we'll say it again: There's no such thing as the ideal, perfect body. While we each may have individual goals and expectations for ourselves when it comes to health, it doesn't and shouldn't come at the expense of the other things we enjoy in life.
Plus, what's the point of working out at the gym if you can't tweet about someone hogging the weights?
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