Only five percent of respondents eat healthy by choice; nine percent go to the gym but ‘hate it’
DEERFIELD BEACH, FL January 4, 2005 — Think you have bad habits? You’re
not alone. In a survey released this week by eDiets.com, Inc. (NASDAQ:DIET),
a leading online diet, fitness and healthy living destination, a whopping 81
percent of respondents acknowledge the harm their unhealthy habits cause them,
with the severity of responses ranging from “I’m beginning to feel
the negative effects on my body” to “it really limits what I can
do.”
Heading the list of these bad habits is overindulgence; 58 percent admit that
they eat more unhealthy food than they should, and most acknowledge that it
happens “far too often – I need serious help.” Only 5 percent
eat healthy because they “want to.” Working out is not a big favorite
either, with 70 percent of respondents reporting very little to no gym time
at all. However, 9 percent do go to the gym but “hate it.”
The habits that cause the greatest shame are also those that significantly
affect dietary health and physical fitness: eating poorly, eating too much,
and not working out – often in combination. Nearly half of respondents,
46 percent, express fear at how their bad habits may be influencing their children,
most recognizing that “they look up to me and I should do better.”
When asked why they have bad habits, 24 percent bluntly say they’re “just
lazy – it’s too hard to be good.” Meanwhile, 28 percent voice
a little more introspection: “I’ve always done what makes me happy,
rather than what’s good for me.” And another 15 percent lament that
“I never realized the problem until it was too late.”
Due to a clear need for change as indicated by these survey results, eDiets.com
has designated January as Healthy Living Month (www.eDiets.com/healthyliving)
- an initiative designed to educate and inform consumers on ways to live a healthy
lifestyle. This first annual event will provide free resources to help health-conscious
Americans build on their New Year’s resolutions and achieve their yearlong
health, nutrition and fitness goals.
“We all have habits that we’re not very proud of – it’s
part of being human,” said Susan Burke, eDiets.com Chief Nutritionist.
“The key lies in identifying those most detrimental to our health, and
within our control to change. January is a perfect time to renew our commitment
to healthy living, and eDiets.com’s free Healthy Living Month resources
give the tools and information that can help Americans keep their diet and fitness
resolutions throughout the year.”
About eDiets.com
eDiets.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: DIET) is a premier online diet, fitness, and healthy
living destination offering professional advice, information, products and services
to those seeking to improve their health and longevity. Since 1997 and as of
September 30, 2004, over 1.8 million consumers worldwide have become eDiets.com
members. Among other honors and awards received, eDiets.com has been named a
Forbes spring 2004 "Best of the Web" in the diet and nutrition category,
and a PC Magazine "Editors' Choice" in May 2004.
eDiets.com offers more than 20 personalized online programs including the Atkins
Nutritional Approach™, The Slim-Fast® Plan, Trim Kids®, and more
than a dozen proprietary Healthy Living plans for those with special needs,
including the "Living With Type 2 Diabetes" plan offered in partnership
with Bristol Myers Squibb's ChoiceDM™ brand. The revolutionary eDiets.com|SolutionsSM
program gives all dieters, regardless of their chosen program with eDiets.com
or otherwise, support to help them succeed with exclusive access to its wide
range of award-winning expert and peer-based online support services, including
Online/Anytime Meetings SM that provide on-demand expert guidance and inspiration
in a streaming video format, among other resources.
Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Deerfield Beach, FL, eDiets.com operates
Web sites at www.eDiets.com
and www.eFitness.com,
and publishes one of the Internet’s leading electronic newsletters with
an opt-in circulation base of over 13 million subscribers. eDiets.com also owns
eDiets Europe Ltd. (“eDiets Europe”), which operates www.eDietsUK.com
in Ireland and the United Kingdom, www.eDiets.de
in Germany, and www.eDiets.com.es
in Spain. eDiets Europe has also entered into an exclusive licensing agreement
with Tesco.com, the world’s largest online grocer and a wholly owned subsidiary
of Tesco plc (LSE: TSCO), to use eDiets.com’s personalized diet technology
in the U.K. and Rep. of Ireland.