Many Alabamians might have fitness as a New Year’s resolution for 2021. But a new study by the financial website WalletHub shows it could be hard to stick to working out this year.
Birmingham ranks 92 out of 100 on the list for the Best Cities for an Active Lifestyle. Jill Gonzalez is an analyst with WalletHub and said many people living in the Magic City don’t seem to have the motivation to work out.
“Birmingham is in the bottom ten for a number of reasons,” she said. “When we’re looking at things like the highest percentage of physically inactive residents, Birmingham has one of those higher percentages. A lot of times, you want to be around like-minded people. You see people working out, and you get inspired. Unfortunately, in Birmingham, we’re not seeing that as much.”
Gonzalez said people often forget to take advantage of free or low-cost activities offered this time of year, especially those you can do outside.
“Walking trails, hiking trails, running trails, those are all free,” she said. “A lot of online workout sites are having sales right now. So, you can still be getting physically fit from home. You may have to move some furniture or use soup cans as weights, but there are certainly options.”
WalletHub said two of the most popular New Year’s resolutions are exercising more and losing weight. But 80% to 90% of people fail to keep their resolutions each year.
