Melbourne, July 15 (ANI): A new study has revealed that youngsters these days think that it is “cool” to stay fit, instead of “getting wasted last night”.

Marketing agency Lifelounge Group studied the lifestyles and attitudes of Australia’s 16 to 30-year-olds, and found that the mindset was increasingly towards health and fitness.

The researchers behind the study say that a rise in informal sporting “mash-ups”-such as bike polo, frisbee soccer and scooter hockey-support their observation.

They further pointed out that yoga, swimming, and bush hikes were also becoming popular among youngters, while bicycles had become a symbol of those wanting to show that they cared for their health and the environment.

The researchers revealed that among the 1662 subjects, 83 per cent of young men and 79 per cent of young women regularly played some sort of sport.

Almost all surveyed 96 per cent of men and 94 per cent of women had an “active interest” in sport, they said.

“Health is now … an important source of urban capital. ‘Clubbing, drinking and drug taking from an early age has fuelled their new desire for a healthier lifestyle. ‘I went for a run this morning’ is a source of urban capital instead of getting wasted,” the Courier Mail quoted the researchers as reporting.

They revealed that a subject hailing from Brisbane, named Adrian Mezzina, reported playing soccer thrice a week.

“It’s a release for me. ‘If I have a full-on, busy day at work I can head out to soccer training and feel a million dollars,” the 27-year-old told the researchers.

Mezzina said that other friends were into group boxing, cycling or going to the gym.

“I think it’s definitely in at the moment to be fit,” he said. (ANI)