People spend twice as long on the toilet than exercising

People in the UK spend more time sitting on the toilet every week than exercising, a poll has revealed.

Adults clock up an average of three hours and nine minutes on the lavatory every week – but spend just 90 minutes being active.

More than a quarter (26 per cent) of people exercise for 30 minutes or less each week and almost two-thirds (64%) sit down for at least six hours a day.

Only 12 per cent of people know how much exercise is needed for good health, the survey of 2,000 adults for the not-for-profit body UKactive also found.

Adults should do 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity exercise, such as cycling, swimming or brisk walking, the NHS recommends.

The findings raise fresh concern over our ‘dangerously sedentary’ lifestyles, which put people at risk of type 2 diabetes, cancer and early death.

A survey suggests adults spend an average of three hours and nine minutes on the toilet every week – but spend just 90 minutes exercising (stock photo)

OFFICE WORKERS MORE SEDENTARY THAN PENSIONERS

It is a time of life when many people with aching joints and failing mobility end up armchair-bound for large parts of the day.

But elderly pensioners are not, as has long been thought, the most sedentary age group.

Most of us work such long hours that we spend more time sitting than over-75s, the University of Edinburgh has reported.

Middle-aged men spend close to half an hour longer seated every weekday, while working women under 45 fall only six minutes short of elderly people, including those in nursing homes.

The study’s lead author, Tessa Strain, said: ‘We do have this belief that sitting for long periods is a problem for pensioners.

‘But most people do not realise how much time they are also spending sitting down, especially office workers, because it is just such a part of everyday life.

‘Older people might spend hours of uninterrupted time sitting, but younger people, while they might get up more often, are off their feet for around the same volume of time. Large parts of the population are dangerously sedentary – something we have underestimated.’

It also discovered the greatest barriers to exercise were busy working lives (cited by one in five people), followed by family commitments (cited by 18% of women and 12% of men).

Social media can motivate younger people to get more active, although it has less influence on older age groups.

More than 40 per cent of 18-24-year-olds said friends and celebrities positing pictures on Instagram of them exercising had a positive effect on them, but the figure for all age groups dropped to 28 per cent.

Obesity epidemic

According to UKactive, a lack of exercise claims 37,000 lives each year, costing the UK £20 billion.

One in every four adults and around one in every five children aged 10 to 11 are said to be obese, according to NHS Choices.

It was recently revealed that emergency services are forking out thousands on special 25-stone mannequins to practice rescue on, because of the increasing number of obese casualties they treat.

Steven Ward, chief executive of UKactive, said: ‘Humans are made to move, but modern living has stripped physical activity out of our lives to the point where we pass more time spending a penny than we do getting sweaty.

‘The major health concern here is our lack of exercise, but things like poor diet, lack of exertion and our tendency to play on smartphones in the bathroom are all other factors that are driving this inbalance.’

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