- Only 20 per cent of people do moderate exercise 12 times in four weeks
- Those with degree had 12 per cent chance of not exercising enough
- Study looked at data of more than a million adults from Active People Survey
By
Daily Mail Reporter
19:26 EST, 31 July 2013
|
01:44 EST, 1 August 2013
New research has suggested almost eight out of ten people in England fail to do enough exercise (file picture)
Almost eight out of ten people in England fail to do enough exercise, research suggests.
People who are poorer and less educated are least likely to exercise, but most adults do far below the recommended amount of activity needed to stay healthy.
The study, led by researchers at the University of Bristol, examined data for more than one million adults from the Active People Survey – which covers socio-economic position and factors such as the weather and access to sport facilities.
It found only around 20 per cent of people carried out moderate exercise at least 12 times in a four-week period.
More than 8 per cent of those physically able to walk had not done so for even five minutes continuously in the past four weeks and experts said participation in the most common activities was also ‘very low’.
Some 46 per cent had walked fewer than 30 minutes continuously during leisure time, 88 per cent had not been swimming and 90 per cent had not visited a gym in the previous four weeks.
Those with a degree had only a 12 per cent chance of not exercising enough but adults with no qualifications were three times as likely to be inactive.
Unsurprisingly, the blue skies and warm weather of summer prompted people to be more active than in winter.
Tam Fry, of the National Obesity Forum, said the results showed a failure to deliver pledges – made by the Blair government during Britain’s Olympic bid – to encourage participation in sports.
She said: ‘The bid pledged that two million adults, let alone millions of children, would be inspired be to be active in a commitment to grassroots sports as an Olympic legacy.’
She said most people were ‘as uninspired to be active as ten years ago’.
The NHS recommends moderate exercise for 2.5 hours a week.
The study suggested those with a degree had only a 12 per cent chance of not exercising enough but adults with no qualifications were three times as likely to be inactive (file picture)
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You dont have to go to the gym to keep fit. All you have to do is move a bit more! Walk instead of using the car, or get a dog and walk it! Buy an old fashioned rotary lawn mower and cutting the grass will become exercise! The problem is we now have so many labour saving devices that our lives have become very sedentary and so we are getting fatter!
Colette
,
Toronto, Canada,
01/8/2013 22:46
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What’s that I’ve just read? You know, the article about a super fit triathlete dying of a heart attack.
ttfan1948 Brighton
,
Sussex, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 21:39
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I would love to go to the gym but go to work and I cant afford it , But most of the dolelites in our town go 3 times a week and have a nice tan as they can sit on their b*m all day sunbathing !!
jog the one and only
,
somerset,
01/8/2013 20:48
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Rubbish!. Working class jobs are sometimes the most physical like binman,postman,cleaner and many others so theres no need to go to a gym.
hewhodareswins
,
Cheltenham, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 17:50
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Rubbish working class jobs are sometimes the most physical like binman,postman,cleaner and many others so theres no need to go to a gym.
hewhodareswins
,
Cheltenham, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 17:47
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it’s ironic, people get in a car and drive to a gym, very strange!!
pumpkin
,
kirkby-in-ashfield, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 16:47
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Fit for what, exactly. Care to specify? I’m alive, I’m healthy, I function normally, I get through my day, I sleep well. What else do I need to abuse my body for?
Primalist
,
York, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 16:16
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Happy to keep the lower classes out of the gyms, personally.
ZaZa Doggy
,
Bishops Stortford, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 15:48
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Averaging 12hrs per week on my bike currently. Hopefully that is enough to see me live past 100
Captain
,
Southampton, United Kingdom,
01/8/2013 15:32
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i’ve got from 10stone to 15 stone in just over a year.. best shape of my life
– Mark , England, United Kingdom, 01/8/2013 09:02 Eh?
willow
,
Bedfordshire,
01/8/2013 15:28
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