Yes, it’s true. Geelong’s Gym is contributing to the Australian economy and not just by providing jobs!
I’m sure you know health and fitness is good for you and everybody else, but it’s also good for the economy. Why?
Well, it has a huge impact on the cost of health care, employment and even our GDP. Currently, around 1.73 million Australians are estimated to use fitness centres. That’s a big number, true. But here’s what Fitness Australia has estimated will be the impact if that figure increased to 10% of the population:
- An additional $204.8 million will be saved in health care costs
- 2609 extra full time employees in the workforce
- As a result of the additional employees mentioned above, an increased GDP of approximately $82 million
Maybe you’re a bit sceptical. But the simple fact is, improving your health and fitness is the best thing you can do for yourself, your family, your community and your country!
You see, the fitter and healthier you and the rest of Australia are, the more energetic and productive we’ll all be and much more likely to participate in the workforce. This, of course, is fantastic for the many businesses and industries we are involved in.
Maybe it's time to pull on the exercise gear and start getting fit and healthy
But that’s not the only benefit of health and fitness. The four main diseases most associated with physical inactivity are:
- Type 2 Diabetes
- Cardiovascular Disease
- Osteoarthritis
- Cancer
Did you know in 2004-05, the direct health care relating to these four diseases was $14.6 billion?
Now imagine the savings if we could reduce the number of obesity-related chronic diseases. Even if just 50% of gym users exercised regularly, the estimated savings in direct health care costs is $71.9 million – $49.8 million of that figure is just the avoided costs of cardiovascular disease.
And it’s really simple to achieve… all you need to do is start getting fit and healthy today!
