The number of fitness fibbers and gym dodgers sweeping the nation is steadily growing as Golfsupport found that 89% of people have lied about their health habits at some point.
But how far are people willing to go with their lies? Interested in finding out, Golfsupport surveyed 3,192 people and can now reveal the extent some of us have gone to look good.
| WHAT PEOPLE HAVE LIED ABOUT: | % OF PEOPLE THAT HAVE: |
| Going to the gym | 68% |
| Eating their 5 a day | 66% |
| How much they can weight lift | 54% |
| Quitting smoking | 45% |
| Following a vegan lifestyle | 41% |
| Quitting alcohol | 39% |
| Completing a 5k run | 33% |
| How fast they can run | 27% |
| Being part of a Sunday league team | 19% |
| Competing in a charity boxing match | 5% |
At the top of the list unsurprisingly is people lying about going to the gym (68%). While we’re sure everyone intends to keep fit and healthy, it’s easier said than done.
It seems that lying about dietary habits is also common amongst many, with 66% of people lying about eating their 5 a day as well as 41% lying about becoming vegan.
Whether it’s to impress our doctors when they ask about our diets or someone we’re seeing romantically, it’s clear a lot of us would rather lie about changing our diet than actually doing it.
Overcoming our urges is another thing people like to lie about. Golfsupport found that 45% of people have lied about quitting smoking and a further 39% have lied about quitting alcohol.
When it comes to both smoking and drinking alcohol, people’s views can vary so it’s no surprise that some may lie to avoid judgement or fit in.
33% of people have had no problem lying about completing the 5k challenge.
With the amount of training and energy required, it seems like for many it’s quicker to say ‘challenge accepted’ and ‘done’.
Whilst many of us like to joke about how if we didn’t injure ourselves growing up we would have gone pro, some people like to take it that step further and lie about being part of a Sunday league team, 5% of us to be exact.
There are many reasons people gave for lying about their health habits and Golfsupport found these three reasons were the most popular: to impress someone (76%), to look good (59%) and because they feel embarrassed (41%).
As well as there being different reasons we lie, there are different people we lie to, among those mentioned by participants love interests came out on top (81%), this was followed by people on social media (69%) and our co-workers (55%).