There are three main reasons most Greeks use as an excuse not to exercise, according to a survey conducted by the Department of Physical Education at the University of Thessaly, Greece. The survey, conducted by Physical Education professor Charilaos Kouthouris and graduate student Spyridon Dimoshakis, shows that Greeks claim they don’t exercise due to lack of time, money or the right company. 995 residents of Athens and Thessaloniki participated in the survey, 503 male and 492 female, aged 18 to 66. The questions were aiming to find any potential connection between quality of life and the various socio-economic and demographic effects of the economic crisis in Greece from 2010 to 2011. In order to evaluate the quality of life, the researchers used the international SF36 questionnaire. The data analysis shows that the main reason Greeks do not exercise is lack of time, followed by the inability to pay gym membership fees and thirdly because they have no one to accompany them in exercise activities. Furthermore, the research shows that participation in public exercise programs is directly dependent on the adequacy or lack of municipal sports facilities. The survey also recorded and compared how the loss of income has affected people who exercise and what would be the result of further income reductions. According to Kouthouris, the economic crisis has affected gyms that require a membership fee. In fact, 7% of people who exercise were greatly affected by the economic crisis while 2.61% said they would have to cancel their memberships. Approximately the same percentages apply to outdoor activities and public exercise programs: 3.64% said they would have to stop exercising outdoors, while 3.87% would stop going to the municipal gym.
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