While the adults may have been outed as some of the laziest in the country, there was no stopping the 3,000 people signing up to a new gym which opened yesterday.

The easyGym, based in Ilford’s iconic Pioneer Point, Winston Way, welcomed almost 1,000 people through its doors on its first day.

Adults in our borough were deemed “significantly worse” than the national average for being physically active in this year’s report by the director of public health for Redbridge.

Matt Sotomi, acting gym manager, said: “You can question that certainly from what we saw on Monday. It’s very a very encouraging sign the number of people that are willing to come down.”

He said that so far feedback from people using the gym has been positive, in particular the separate female-only workout section.

“We look at the local area and its needs and see how to come across that,” he added. “It’s a really good place to workout in terms of the feedback we have got so far.”

In the Past, Present and Future 2012-2013 annual report of the director of public health for Redbridge, 8.6 per cent of Redbridge adults were classed as active. In England the figure was 11.2 per cent.

According to Mr Sotomti, one factor which may be inspiring people to get in shape is that there is no fixed term contract and membership is relatively cheap at £17.99 per month.

Mr Sotomti said: “We are affordable and have excellent equipment. We are making sure people take up sport by making sure it’s affordable.”

The gym also has more than 30 different classes including boxing, Bollywood dancing, circuits and zumba.

The company has four other gyms nationwide with the last one opened in Cardiff which had about half the pre-opening registration number of the Ilford branch.

The gym is inside the commercial unit, which makes up three floors at the towers, completed earlier this year.