As more than seven million people call London home, the likelihood is that there will be at least a few people feeling a tad insecure about the way they look.
Looking good on the outside helps to boost confidence while any appearance-related issues could have the opposite effect. But how exactly do people in South West London feel about their bodies?
The results of a nationwide tour of major cities by British Military Fitness revealed that men and women have different hang-ups about their looks, with women seemingly less anxious about how they see their bodies than males.
Both had one thing in common – stomachs were the body parts they worried most about.
Banish the belly
A whopping 62% of men said their main problem area was the stomach compared to 41% of women.
There was a huge disparity in the numbers concerned about their chests though with 26% of men highlighting it as a concern compared to 1% of women.
This shows that having a pair of rock-hard pecks is an aspiration of many image-conscious chaps.
The second most prevalent problem area for women’s bodies was their thighs, something 14% of respondents to the survey brought up.
A bit further behind in the polls were bingo wings and bums, both of which scored 6% of the vote.
Strangely 10% of men in London were worried about their backs, although only a tiny amount had concerns about the state of their arms.
North-south divide
When it comes to how people in the south and north of England see themselves physically, the differences were quite marked.
A huge 71% of southern women were more worried about having bingo wings than northern women.
Bizarrely southern men were 29% more likely to be conscious about how their chests looked than their northern counterparts.
About the survey, Rob Love, Managing Director of British Military Fitness, commented: “The aim of the roadshow was to get out there and talk to people about improving themselves through exercise.
“Although we asked people to identify specific areas they would like to improve, we wanted to communicate that losing weight or getting fit shouldn’t be boring or a chore, it should be a way of life.
“The number one reason our members reach their health and fitness goals is down to motivation, which is provided by our expert ex-military instructors, but also by the like-minded BMF members they work out with on a regular basis”, he added.
Picture courtesy of FBellon, with thanks
