Manchester has been named the fittest city in the UK, with residents apparently exercising around four or five times per week on average.
Now this is a crown us Mancs will be willing to wear.
After recently having been voted as the city with the country’s sexiest accent, Manchester just keeps on going from strength to strength when it comes to titles, and in this case, quite literally, as according to new research from Vitality American Express, the city has been revealed, alongside the Scottish capital of Edinburgh, as one of the UK’s ‘fittest’.
More than a quarter (26%) of respondents to the recent survey who live in Manchester say they exercise at least four or five times per week.
This compares with Edinburgh coming close behind at 23%, and then when you take a look and these stats in comparison to the rest of the UK, the nationwide average is 17% of people who exercise four or five times per week.
ADVERTISEMENT
The most common response, however, was exercising two or three times per week nationally (25%).
Manchester has been named the ‘fittest’ city in the UK / Credit: Pxhere
As well as finding out the cities where residents like to keep their bodies moving the most, the survey also revealed the forms of exercise that proved to be the most popular in each location – and perhaps understandable to some, but surprising to most, Manchester has shown itself to be a city of pilates lovers.
ADVERTISEMENT
Overall, the UK appears to be a nation of walkers, as 34% named hiking as one of their favourite ways to exercise – with respondents saying they took an average of 7,550 steps a day, and a third (33%) saying they choose to exercise in rural areas.
Gym workouts take the silver medal for most popular exercise activities, with one in five (20%) of UK adults listing gym sessions as one of their top ways to work-out.
Residents apparently exercise around four or five times per week on average / Credit: Manchester City Council
Speaking on the findings of the new research, Nick Read – Managing Director of the Vitality Programme – explained: “The new year is a great time to reset and think about your health and wellbeing goals and it’s really refreshing to see such a variety in the types of exercise people are doing – from hiking, to football, to heading to the gym.
ADVERTISEMENT
“It’s particularly interesting to see the amount of Brits choosing to exercise together, which we know can strengthen relationships and community ties.
“Whichever activity you choose, getting more active does so much for both your mental and physical health.”
The Vitality American Express Credit Card is currently giving its Cardmembers the chance to earn cashback on their spending, while being rewarded for staying active at the same time, and you can find out more here.
Alex Sanderson summons Rudyard Kipling as Sale Sharks scrape into the semi-finals
Danny Jones
Director of Rugby Alex Sanderson referenced the famous Rudyard Kipling after Sale Sharks managed to book their place in the playoffs of this year’s Gallagher Premiership following a nail-biter of a fixture against Exeter Chiefs.
The Sharks sealed their spot in the semi-finals with a 30-26 win over the Chiefs on Saturday night, with a trio of tries, a singular pen and calmness when it came to conversions proving just enough to make it to full time.
Speaking on the narrow score at Sandy Park, Sanderson himself applauded that same composure during his post-match duties, casually quoting Kipling ahead of the next big game.
Writing on social media after nerves had just about settled, the club simply said: “Apologies for raising the heart rate, Sharks Family… but Saturday we go again.”
Beginning with an expression of that same defiant spirit that has seen them across the line on so many occasions, the 45-year-old told TNT Sports, “We got another Monday in us.”
The Sale Sharks coach went on to add: “So if you can keep your head, when everybody else is losing theirs – I think that’s the old Rudyard Kipling poem – you’re in such a better place on the back of that, knowing what we can fix from the Leicester game and what we can do better from today.”
It’s not every day you hear sportsmen calling up the poetic words of the beloved British-India writer, but it certainly impressed plenty of supporters, though Sanderson has always been popular among fans for his candour and charisma in interviews.
Ultimately, it was Rekeiti Ma’asi-White, Bevan Rodd, Luke Cowan-Dickie and George Ford that the Greater Manchester outfit had to thank for the electrifying finish
You can see how much it meant, clear as day…
Not done yet…
Thank you for your support Sharks Family, it’s truly appreciated!
Sale Sharks will now take on Leicester Tigers (who the local side finished just behind in third place following the result against the Chiefs) in the Premiership semis as they look to get revenge for previous painful meetings
Are you feeling hopeful, Sharks Family?
You can see the full highlights from Sale Sharks’ tense victory over the Exeter Chiefs down below.
Alex Sanderson channelled Rudyard Kipling and Sale scrapped like true Sharks.
‘The average cost of a pint’ in the UK by region, according to the latest data
Danny Jones
Does it feel like pints keep getting more and more expensive almost every week at this point? Yes. Yes, it does, and while you can’t expect a city as big as Manchester to be one of the cheapest places to get one in the UK, we do often wonder how it compares to other parts of the country.
Well, as it happens, someone has recently crunched the numbers for us across the nation, breaking down which regions pay the most and the least for their pints.
The data has been examined by business management consultancy firm, CGA Strategy, using artificial intelligence and information from the latest Retail Price Index figures to find out what the ‘average cost of a pint’ is down south, up North and everywhere in between.
While the latest statistics provided by the group aren’t granular enough to educate us on Greater Manchester’s pint game exactly, we can show you how our particular geographic region is looking on the leaderboard at the moment.
That’s right, we Mancunians and the rest of the North West are technically joint mid-table when it comes to the lowest average cost of a pint, sharing the places from 3rd to 8th – according to CGA, anyway.
Powered by consumer intelligence company, NIQ (NielsenIQ) – who also use AI and the latest technology to deliver their insights – we can accept it might seem like it’s been a while since you’ve paid that little for a pint, especially in the city centre, but these are the stats they have published.
Don’t shoot the messenger, as they say; unless, of course, they’re trying to rob you blind for a bev. Fortunately, we’ve turned bargain hunting at Manchester bars into a sport at this point.
We might not boast the lowest ‘average’ pint cost in the UK, but we still have some bloody good places to keep drinking affordable.
London tops the charts (pretends to be shocked)
While some of you may have scratched your eyes at the supposed average pint prices here in the North West, it won’t surprise any of you to see that London leads the way when it came to the most expensive pint when it came to average cost in the UK.
To be honest, £5.44 doesn’t just sound cheap but virtually unheard of these days.
CGA has it that the average cost of a beer in the British capital is actually down 15p from its price last September, but as we all know, paying upwards of £7 for a pint down that end of the country is pretty much par for the course the closer you get to London.
Yet more reason you can be glad you live around here, eh? And in case you thought you were leaving this article with very little, think again…
Emily Sergeant -
17th January 2023 
