ASICS ‘Little Reminders’, a group of seven and eight-year-olds encourage adults to engage in exercise for the positive feelings it brings, rather than focusing on physical appearance.
- New research reveals that adults have lost touch with moving simply for enjoyment and have become preoccupied with exercising to alter their appearance.
- 63% of adults acknowledge that their main motivation for exercising is physical gain, whereas 77% of children indicate that their primary reason for engaging in physical activity is for enjoyment.
- A staggering 92% of kids enjoy exercise, whereas 77% of adults do not look forward to it and view it as a chore.
- In response, ASICS has formed the world’s youngest exercise influencer team, the ASICS ‘Little Reminders’, to advocate for a shift in focus towards the emotional and mental benefits of exercise.
- The team has created the first exercise guide made by children for adults, designed to encourage movement for enjoyment rather than performance.
ASICS proudly unveils the world’s youngest exercise influencer team, the ASICS ‘Little Reminders’. Their mission is simple: to inspire adults to engage in physical activity for the joy it brings, rather than for aesthetic results.
As children, exercise comes naturally. Young kids run, jump, and climb because it feels good, yet many adults find their motivation skewed by societal pressures to achieve physical perfection. According to new research commissioned by ASICS, 63% of adults cite physical gain as their primary reason for exercising, while 77% of children say they do it purely for fun. This societal fixation on attaining the ‘perfect body’ is harming our connection with physical activity.
Reflecting on their younger selves, 82% of adults report they didn’t have negative feelings about exercise in their youth, and 43% express that they loved it. More than half acknowledge they didn’t even realise they were exercising back then; it was simply fun. Furthermore, 31% of adults want to recapture that sense of joy, while 77% of children believe adults take exercise far too seriously.
To help adults reconnect with the positive mental benefits of physical activity, ASICS has formed the ‘Little Reminders’, a team of seven and eight-year-olds from across the UK who exercise purely for the joy it brings them.
The ASICS ‘Little Reminders’ – Tillie, Hiba, Joash, Imuujin, and Henry – have developed the first-ever exercise guide made by children for adults, promoting the message that moving for enjoyment is just as important as moving for performance. The ambassadors will also take over the channels of some of the biggest exercise influencers, sharing their playful workouts to inspire a broader audience to focus on the mental uplift of movement.
Gary Raucher, EVP of ASICS EMEA, stated: “Children aged five to seven are at their peak activity levels, with their primary motivation to exercise being to feel good. Unfortunately, as we grow older, the emphasis on physical gain and performance often shifts our focus away from the enjoyment of movement. Instead of serving as a release of stress and a path to feeling better, the fitness world often adds pressure. We aim to change that.”
At ASICS, we recognise the significant influence of movement on both physical health and mental well-being. Our name itself stands for the Latin phrase ‘Anima Sana in Corpore Sano,’ meaning ‘Sound Mind in a Sound Body.’ We hope our Little Reminders can help everyone remember the true power of exercise and encourage us to move for our minds, not just our bodies.
In a recent social experiment, ASICS engaged a group of adults and children aged 6 to 8 to explore their motivations for exercising.
Psychologist Dr. Linda Papadopoulos commented: “As we age, societal influences, including social media and cultural expectations, emphasise aesthetic outcomes, shaping our perceptions of exercise and body image. While it’s well-documented that exercise supports mental health, there remains a misconception that it must be intense or painful to be effective. In reality, you don’t need to engage in a full-body workout to enjoy the benefits.”
“The idea of tapping into our childhood mindset is a fantastic way to embrace exercise and unlock its mental benefits. Children approach physical activity with uninhibited joy, moving for the pleasure of it rather than external validation. Their focus is on gains, not losses, making physical activity a joy, not a chore. By adopting this mindset, adults can positively restructure their relationship with exercise and rediscover the joy of movement for its own sake.”