Only one in 20 adults in England receives the recommended amount of exercise, a study shows.
The NHS says people should do two and a half hours of moderate-intensity exercise a week, such as brisk walking, cycling and pushing a lawn mower.
Adults should also perform muscle-strengthening activities, such as carrying heavy shopping bags, weightlifting and heavy gardening, at least two days a week.
But a survey of a quarter of a million Britons found that a “surprisingly small” five percent reached these minimum thresholds.
This comes after the World Health Organization (WHO) warned that the British were on their way to becoming the fattest nation in Europe in the next decade.
Researchers at the University of Essex studied the exercise habits of a quarter of a million people in England.
They found that while two-thirds did enough aerobic exercise, between five and 29 percent did enough strength training, depending on how the latter is defined.
Researchers from the University of Essex, who surveyed a quarter of a million Britons, found that a “surprisingly small” five percent could meet the recommended levels of aerobic and strengthening training
The graph shows the proportion of 19- to 65-year-olds in England who meet three different definitions of guidelines recommending strengthening twice a week.
The graph shows the percentage in English of 19- to 65-year-olds meeting both aerobic activity guidelines plus three interpretations of strengthening activity.
The exact number of people who achieve goals for aerobic and strengthening exercises has been unclear so far.
Researchers examined data on 249,614 Britons aged 18 to 65 who responded to the Active Life Survey.
He asked a representative group of people from all over England about their exercise routine twice a year.
HOW MUCH EXERCISE SHOULD I DO?
Adults aged 19 to 64 are recommended to exercise daily.
The NHS says Britons should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity a week.
The advice is the same for adults with disabilities, pregnant women and new mothers.
Exercise just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke.
Moderate activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, cycling, dancing, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking and rollerblading.
Vigorous exercise includes running, swimming, speed biking or hiking, climbing stairs, as well as sports such as football, rugby, netball and hockey.
The findings, published in the journal PLoS ONE, show that two-thirds of adults get a heartbeat through aerobic exercise for the recommended two and a half hours a week.
The percentage is slightly higher for men (69%) than for women (65%).
However, researchers said that figure may be too high because people tend to overestimate when they self-report activity levels.
They also calculated the percentage of people who followed the aerobic exercise recommendations and also did at least 10 minutes of strengthening exercises twice a week, based on three different definitions of strengthening exercises.
When using the definition of the Health Survey for England (HSE) – which includes 34 types of exercise from golf and cricket to weight training – 29 percent of men and 24 percent of women meet the requirements for strengthening exercise.
Researchers said there was “limited evidence” that many of these activities made muscles stronger.
According to a separate classification of strength training – which includes 10 exercises for which there is evidence of health benefits – the percentage has dropped to 16 percent of men and nine percent of women. Running, football and weightlifting are included in this definition.
But the numbers fell to 7.3% of men and 4.1% of women according to the strictest guidelines, which classify only five exercises as strengthening – weight training, circuit training, weight training, yoga and weightlifting.
In general, the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic and strengthening activities can be as high as one in three, but it can be as high as one in 20 if the strictest definition is applied.
They said previous studies, which found that three times as many people met training recommendations, “greatly overestimated” the number of adults working on strengthening, including too many activities that were clearly not designed or able to promote the development of force ‘.
Researchers said the figures were comparable to those in the United States.
The team also found that women aged 50 to 65, people with disabilities, people living in poor areas and people with less academic qualifications were less likely to exercise.
Researchers said those in poorer parts of the country may not have access to gyms, while those with disabilities may find it difficult to perform resistance training.
Gyms may also be “less friendly” for women and seniors, they said.
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