The impact of the decline of movement in the Czech Republic is very concrete. The total expenditure on health care will reach CZK 526 billion in 2020, i.e. over 9% of GDP. Almost 90% of this amount comes from public sources, and over CZK 60 billion a year is paid by households themselves.

“If Czechs had more exercise, it would be possible to reduce healthcare costs by 25 to 30 percent. We would therefore save about CZK 150 billion. The Czech Republic has a very high per capita consumption of medicines and the highest frequency of visits to doctors in Europe. More exercise could reduce the use of medicines by up to a third. Lack of exercise is also one of the main causes of a number of serious diseases. For example, according to a 2015 study, the risk of heart attack can be reduced by up to 35 per cent if we exercise for ten minutes every day,” comments Professor Václav Bunc from the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport at the Charles University.

Health care costs are also rising because the number of people suffering from obesity in the Czech Republic has increased by about a fifth over the past 20 years. Those people are up to 80% likely to become type 2 diabetics and hypertensives, Bunce said. There are currently about one million diabetics (type 2 DM) in the Czech Republic.

According to the results of MultiSport, concern for one’s own health is not what motivates Czechs to exercise. In fact, fewer people are exercising for better fitness or to look better. On the contrary, more and more Czechs are exercising to reduce stress or to feel better mentally. Most often, lack of time or motivation prevents them from exercising. Too busy a schedule is cited as an obstacle by 59% of respondents, and weak willpower by one percentage point more.