BBC News Online: UK: Scotland

Scots fight shy of exercise

The fitness industry is booming

However, Scots are least likely to splash out on exercising with one in 10 people claiming too much attention is paid to keeping fit.

In the last five years Mintel said the health and fitness club market has grown by 145%.

Almost a fifth of British adults, about 8.6 million people use a club.

But despite the boom elsewhere in the UK, the researchers suggest that many Scots are not jumping on the bandwagon.

Scots are the least likely to spend time and money on fitness, with only 15% putting their hands in their pocket compared to 25% in the south of England.

Over half of the Scots interviewed said they had no intention of joining any health of fitness club in the near future.

Last month, the Scottish Sport and Fitness Show at the Scottish Exhibition and Conference Centre (SECC) showcased some of the country's top athletes and most extreme sports with the aim of ending the so-called couch potato culture in Scotland.

Current figures show that about one in five of all men and women in Scotland are officially classed as obese while many children are overweight by their third birthday.

It is currently estimated that heart disease, poor diet and lack of exercise will cost the NHS in Scotland about £16bn over the next 10 years.