• Are you listening to your hard-working body?
Carrie-Bickmore
28 Aug 2019

Are you listening to your hard-working body?

1 mins to read
We’ve teamed up with Carrie Bickmore ahead of this year’s Blackmores Sydney Running Festival to encourage Aussies to listen to their hard-working bodies.


Your body is working harder than you know

Did you know that 15 million Australians (79%) are experiencing some type of pain or niggle, whether this be a sore neck, stiff joint or cramping muscles? 

While a small discomfort may seem like nothing, these ongoing niggles can have a big impact on our wellbeing, with three in four Aussies (74%) currently frustrated at the impact they’re having on their physical bodies. Despite this, almost a quarter (23%) never seek advice for their niggles.
“I'm not good at listening to my body if I'm honest. I think women in general aren't good at listening to their bodies. I think we're good at making sure everybody else's bodies are okay, but not our own”. - Carrie Bickmore
Recovery is also an area of concern, with 81% of those aged 30-39 feeling it takes much longer to recover from physical exercise compared to when they were younger.

Listen to your hard-working body

Blackmores Sydney Running Festival ambassador, Carrie Bickmore said: “I definitely fall in the just over 80% of Australians who feel it takes much longer for their body to recover as they get older”.

“I'm not good at listening to my body if I'm honest. I think women in general aren't good at listening to their bodies. I think we're good at making sure everybody else's bodies are okay, but not our own”. 

“If you don't listen you could end up injured, which means you can't exercise, and personally that’s the worst outcome because I need to move for my mind and body. I know in the future, my body isn’t going to always work so well, so the more I can listen to and invest in it now, the better it will work in the future,” Bickmore said. 

Research reveals we are a nation with niggles

In research recently commissioned^ by Blackmores we discovered that Australia is one big niggle nation. And we’re experiencing:
  • Sore or tense neck or back
  • Sore or tense muscles in the legs and arms
  • Stiff and sore joints – including knees, wrists and ankles
  • Persistent aches in the hands and feet
  • Stiff or sore shoulders
  • General muscle cramps or spasms
And so with all these niggles it’s not surprising that 74% of us are frustrated with the impact they are having on our bodies.

Or that they are impacting our daily lives with 83% of Australians with current niggles experiencing difficulties completing everyday activities, tasks in the workplace and maintaining their physical fitness.

Are you listening to your body?

Half of Australians with niggles openly admit to regularly checking in on social media, while only a quarter will take time to check in with how they feel physically.

Plus, we’re more likely to be found scrolling through Netflix or getting our car checked before we check in with our bodies. 

Regardless of these facts, 59% of Australians, reveal their key motivation to wanting to maintain good health now, is so they can continue to maintain their health and wellbeing as they age.

Little niggles have a big impact

Less active Aussies with niggles are struggling the most, with two in five (39%) experiencing difficulty sleeping because of their niggles, compared to one in five (27%) active Aussies.

Niggles are taking a toll on us, with four in five (78%) Aussies who currently experience niggles admitting they’ve slowed them down, and nearly two in three (63%) have had to change their fitness routines to work around their niggles.    

Everyday activities affected by niggles include sleeping (32%); physical fitness (28%); cleaning the house (25%); completing tasks in the workplace (13%) and playing with kids (11%). 

The older you are, the longer you niggle

The research suggests that with age comes more niggles, with nearly half (45%) of those aged 30-39+ experiencing multiple niggles compared to one in three (36%) aged under 30. 

Those aged 30 and older are having more difficulty managing their niggles with half (49%) experiencing a painful niggle for over one year.

Support your hard-working body

Encouragingly more than nine in ten of us are motivated to keep up our physical health. And you don’t have to go it alone!

Blackmores offers a free Naturopathic Advisory Service, allowing Aussies to easily access personalised health advice. 

Take action on your niggles today by getting in touch by phone, email or online chat.  

^Research commissioned and conducted by Lonergan Research on behalf of Blackmores, between 5th and 11th July 2019, surveying of 1,030 Australians 18+


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