Jogging is as important as spending time with the family or having sex, according to a new survey of Swedish women. The study, carried out by iFORM lifestyle magazine, found Swedish women would rather don a pair of trainers and trot round the block than have coffee with friends, watch TV or call up their mums.
Karen Lyager Horve, iFORM’s editor-in-chief, believes the activity is so popular because of its rapid results. “Jogging is something of a panacea; in a relatively short period of time you can boost your well-being by running yourself to a healthy weight, less stress and more happiness,” she said.
Bad news for their partners, but a third of the 1,774 women who took part in the study said they preferred pounding pavements to taking exercise between the sheets. In fact, the only part of life unquestioningly thought to be more important than jogging was work.
Almost a third of the women surveyed plan to run a half-marathon, although most take to the streets three times a week for a average of five kilometres. Gadgets were also found to be the most popular running buddies, with Swedish women wiring themselves up with MP3 players and pulse metres in their quest for better health.