Movement & Exercise
When India's Workforce Stopped Moving
Key Takeaways
Completely sedentary lifestyle: 28% of urban professionals never exercise — early 1 in 3 are completely sedentary during their peak productive years
Income exercise gradient: Top earners show nearly double the adequate exercise rates of lowest earners (55.6% vs 29.3%)
The generation flip: Gen X (43-58) outexercises Gen Z (22-27) by 21% — experience beats youth
Remote work advantage: WFH professionals exercise more than office workers despite losing incidental movement
Exercise-stress correlation: Optimal exercisers report 25% lower stress levels than minimal exercisers
How India Moves
Physical inactivity has become a defining risk factor of modern life. Globally, the WHO warns that insufficient movement now contributes to millions of preventable deaths each year, with links to heart disease, diabetes, certain cancers, and declining mental health.
Despite being one of the youngest nations, India is no exception. National health surveys indicate that urban adults are among the least active, with sedentary time rising steadily over the past two decades.
This shift is tied to rapid urbanisation and the dominance of desk-based work. Traditional forms of incidental activity, walking to work, manual labour, and community sports, are steadily being replaced by long commutes, extended screen time, and convenience-driven lifestyles.
Unlike in some countries where city design, workplace culture, and public policy encourage movement, Indian cities often make activity a conscious effort rather than a built-in part of the day.
The cost is not only personal but systemic. Physical inactivity fuels the rise of non-communicable diseases, increases healthcare spending, and threatens workforce productivity. Understanding how, when, and why people move, or fail to, has become critical for shaping healthier workplaces, designing supportive infrastructure, and protecting long-term economic growth.
The 28% Who Never Move
In the gleaming office towers of urban India, we celebrate our demographic dividend—the youngest workforce driving global growth.
Among urban professionals, more than a quarter, 962 out of 3,437 (28%) in our survey, did not engage in even 30 minutes of exercise in a typical week.
Not occasionally. Not when schedules allow. Never.
Never (0 days)
962
28.0%
Complete sedentary lifestyle
Minimal (1-2 days)
1,174
34.2%
Inadequate for health benefits
Moderate (3-4 days)
690
20.1%
Meeting minimum guidelines
Regular (5+ days)
611
17.8%
Optimal frequency
Only 37.9% meet the benchmark for adequate activity, leaving nearly two-thirds either sedentary or insufficiently active during the years when their bodies are most capable of movement and recovery. This is not a marginal group but rather a substantial share of the workforce operating far below recommended activity levels.
These patterns carry long-term consequences.
Physical inactivity at this scale increases risks for chronic disease, reduces resilience to illness, and can silently erode both health and productivity over time. In a workforce celebrated for its youth and potential, such widespread inactivity signals a silent health crisis in the making.
How Income Affects Movement
Income and activity levels rise together. In our data, the highest earners record almost twice the adequate exercise rates of the lowest earners, driven less by willpower and more by access, environment, and time.
Higher incomes bring options: gyms, trainers, safer neighbourhoods, and flexible schedules. For low earners, long commutes, fixed hours, and limited facilities make structured exercise far harder to sustain.
The steepest rise in activity appears between the ₹25–40 lakh and ₹40 lakh+ groups, suggesting a tipping point where exercise becomes a regular habit rather than an occasional effort.
At its edges, the gap shows how economic realities can make movement feel like a privilege instead of a basic part of life.
When Age Moves More than Youth
Our data flips the usual assumption that youth equals fitness.
India’s oldest working professionals, Gen X, outperform the youngest in every exercise metric, despite being 20+ years older.
The Reality Check on Exercise
Gen X (43-58)
315
21%
46%
24%
Gen Z (22-27)
821
30%
38%
17%
Millennials (28-42)
2,246
28%
36%
17%
For Gen X, movement appears to be a learned necessity. Many began their careers in an era of long, static workdays, felt the physical toll, and now treat exercise as non-negotiable upkeep rather than optional wellness.
Millennials fare the worst. At 28–42, they face peak career demands, family responsibilities, and financial pressure, leaving only 36% meeting adequate activity levels.
Gen Z’s results are equally concerning: despite access to apps, influencers, and endless fitness advice, 30% never exercise at all, a higher share than professionals twice their age.
The pattern suggests that experience, not energy, is the stronger driver of movement. The challenge for younger generations is learning this lesson before their health forces the point.
How Remote Work Boosts Movement
Remote and hybrid work arrangements appear to be an unexpected ally for physical activity. In our data, these professionals report higher exercise rates than those working fully on-site.
Hybrid
730
23%
41%
Work From Home
601
26%
41%
Work From Office
1,955
31%
36%
The reason seems clear: schedule control matters more than access to gyms or wellness facilities. Without the daily commute, workers gain pockets of time that can be used for walking, workouts, or other movement opportunities that even well-equipped office fitness centers rarely create.
While some of this difference may reflect self-selection, those who value flexibility may already value health; the pattern suggests that where and how we work can be as important for movement as income or age.
Your Pin Code Predicts Your Push-Ups
Geography plays a powerful role in activity levels.
In our data, Bengaluru tops the charts for adequate exercise, while Chennai trails with nearly a 50% gap separating the two.
Bengaluru
737
23.5%
44.0%
Pune
558
28.1%
38.5%
Delhi NCR
418
29.7%
37.8%
Hyderabad
363
27.3%
36.1%
Mumbai
571
35.0%
35.4%
Chennai
77
28.6%
29.9%
Mumbai stands out for a different reason: over one in three professionals there never exercise, the highest sedentary rate among major metros.
These differences may stem from a mix of factors: city infrastructure, cultural attitudes toward fitness, industry workload patterns, or the tendency of health-conscious professionals to cluster in certain locations.
Whatever the cause, the pattern is clear: your pin code is often a stronger predictor of movement than personal motivation alone.
The Gender Gap in Movement
Women consistently report lower exercise rates and less workplace movement than men, despite leading in other markers of health awareness, such as supplement use, preventive care, and therapy participation.
Male
2,306
25.4%
39.7%
52.5%
Female
1,125
33.2%
34.0%
37.5%
In our data, women are 31% more likely to never exercise and 29% less likely to take active breaks at work.
The persistence of this gap points to systemic barriers rather than a lack of motivation, ranging from safety concerns and caregiving demands to workplace cultures that leave little room for movement.
How Exercise Reduces Stress
Our data shows one of its strongest links here: people who exercise frequently report far lower stress levels.
Those active five or more days a week report stress scores roughly 25% lower than those who exercise rarely or not at all.
5+ days
610
4.03/10
22.0%
Optimal stress management
3-4 days
690
4.75/10
28.3%
Moderate stress levels
1-2 days
1,173
5.04/10
33.4%
Higher stress burden
The relationship may run both ways—lower stress could make it easier to stay active—but the connection is clear.
Movement supports mental health, and mental health supports movement.
In a workforce where stress is a major productivity drain, regular exercise stands out as one of the most accessible and cost-effective interventions available. The question is less about finding time to move and more about whether professionals can afford the cost of staying still.
The Knowledge Worker Advantage
Contrary to expectation, knowledge workers often outpace physical workers in structured exercise.
IT professionals, despite spending most of their day seated, achieve 42% adequate exercise, outperforming manufacturing workers at 38%. This suggests a compensatory effect, where awareness of sedentary risks prompts deliberate fitness habits.
E-commerce/Retail
119
31%
43%
IT/Software
1,173
23%
42%
Healthcare
346
27%
40%
Consulting
111
32%
39%
Manufacturing
284
28%
38%
BFSI
321
28%
37%
Education
161
33%
34%
Healthcare workers, with their deep health knowledge, record only average rates at 40%, likely constrained by shift work and the emotional demands of patient care.
Education fares worst, with just 33% meeting adequate activity levels, an indicator of academic work cultures that normalise long hours and limit recovery.
The pattern points to a misconception among physical workers that job-related activity is “enough,” when in reality, much modern physical work still involves prolonged sitting or standing with little cardiovascular benefit.
What This Movement Crisis Means
Taken together, the patterns in income, generation, geography, gender, and industry point to a clear conclusion: movement in the workforce is shaped far more by systemic conditions than by personal willpower.
The 28% who never exercise are not simply unmotivated—they face barriers such as economic constraints, inflexible schedules, unsafe environments, and workplace norms that discourage time away from the desk. Income disparities turn movement into a privilege, with adequate activity rates nearly doubling between the lowest and highest earners.
Generational reversals show that the discipline to move often comes only after experiencing the consequences of inactivity—lessons younger workers may not learn in time. Geographic divides highlight the role of infrastructure and urban design, while remote work proves that environmental changes behaviour more effectively than wellness campaigns alone.
The reality is stark: India’s economic growth has been built on work patterns that erode the very movement needed to sustain it. The demographic dividend risks becoming a demographic debt if the workforce cannot remain healthy and productive over decades-long careers.
The problem is systemic. The solution must be, too.
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