One in seven people have done no exercise for more than a decade

One in seven have done no exercise for more than a decade according to a survey from the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The poll, commissioned to promote the BHF’s 2016 event series, found that a fifth of respondents said they never exercised and 15 per cent did so less than once a week. Almost half said that they had not run at all in the past year.

The reasons behind the lack of activity is varied with:

• 14% admit to finding exercise boring
• 25% blame their lack of physical activity on bad weather
• 26% state they do not have enough time to exercise
• 34% admit they are too lazy to exercise

The survey also uncovered some misconceptions as to what the required minimum amount of exercise is with over half (51%) believing a minimum of 20 minutes exercise, such as brisk walking, at least three times a week will suffice for their exercise requirement. The actual timescale that people should be aiming for is a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week. Only 17% of people knew this correct figure.

Lisa Young, a physical activity specialist at the British Heart Foundation said: “Physical activity is essential for your heart health and should not be ignored. Not only can keeping fit help reduce your risk of heart disease, it can help you control your weight, reduce blood pressure,cholesterol and improve your mental health.

“Walk more, get together with friends to do an activity, find something you enjoy and set yourself a goal this year to keep you motivated.”

Find out more about the survey here.

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