Lazy Brits

A third of British adults admit they are lazy – and would always take the lift instead of the stairs, it was revealed yesterday.

The findings emerged in a study of 2,683 people aged 18 and over and found 32 per cent will always drive short distances, when walking is a viable option. More than half of those polled often duck out of regular exercise sessions in favour of a night on the sofa. And 51 per cent admit they find it hard to motivate themselves to leave the house to do anything once they have returned from work.

Key factors which contribute to Brits leading such sedentary lifestyles include lack of time, long working hours and being too busy. But 33 per cent of people admit they simply can’t be bothered to do anything but relax in their spare time.

Zoe Hellman, Head of Public Health for Weight Watchers, which conducted the research in conjunction with the ‘Move More in May’ campaign which has been launched to encourage Brits to be more active, said: “According to our research, more than 14 million adults are leading more inactive lifestyles than is healthy or necessary.

“The lack of motivation that this research highlights is putting people at risk of far reaching health issues later in life including obesity, Type-2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

“Being inactive becomes habit, so we get used to lounging around in our spare time rather than exercising the recommended five or more times a week.

“This is something we are striving to change by launching our Move More Manifesto, which has four key elements focused around encouraging people to increase activity levels, eat more healthily and benefit from the positive effects this has on weight loss and other areas of their lives, to sign up people can visit www.playweightwatchers.co.uk/movemore

“Even when people feel motivated enough to leave their house they are opting to use the car or public transport rather than walking or cycling.

“It is about nudging people into changing their habits for the long term to reap the benefits not only for their body but their mind too.”

Exercising isn’t the only thing which suffers because British adults can’t be bothered. A third of those questioned would decline a night out with friends or family if they didn’t want to go to the trouble of getting ready. While a fifth often opt for takeaways or ready meals because they don’t have the time or inclination to cook a healthy evening meal. And friendships have even suffered over laziness – as people text rather than phone, email rather than sending letters and Facebook instead of sending Birthday cards.

Incredibly 17 per cent of Brits don’t even have enough drive to have sex with their partner at the end of a long day – preferring to go straight to sleep instead. The survey shows the average person does nothing but sit down for an average of four nights a week, and incredibly a fifth of Brits do absolutely no exercise at all on any night of the week. But when questioned about their lack of enthusiasm for exercise, 32 per cent claim they are just too exhausted by the time they stop working, and 21 per cent are too busy balancing work and family life.

A fifth claim their job is to blame for their lack of movement during the day – some people claim their job is one where they sit down for most of the day, and others claim to work extremely long hours.

Stuart Biddle, Professor of Physical Activity and Health at Loughborough University comments for Weight Watchers: “Lack of time is a commonly stated barrier to doing more, or any, physical activity. However, researchers have stated that this is more a perception than reality.

“If people average 2-3 hours of TV viewing per night as this research shows, they do have time for some physical activity. It is therefore more to do with motivation and priorities than lack of real time.”

‘CAN’T BE BOTHERED’ LIST:

1. Put something off for days because you can’t be bothered
2. Take the lift rather than using the stairs
3. Decline a night out because you don’t want to get ready
4. Text people rather than call as it’s less effort
5. Email rather than send letters as it’s quicker
6. Drive to the corner shop rather than walk
7. Buy ready meals or takeaways rather than cook
8. Decline an exercise session in favour of something else
9. Wear creased clothes rather than iron them
10. Choose sleep over sex
11. Scrape your hair back rather than wash and blow dry it
12. Drive to work rather than cycle or walk, regardless of how feasible these options are
13. Shove everything under beds rather than tidying properly
14. Facebook rather than send Birthday cards
15. Join a new gym and then can’t be bothered to go
16. Cancel plans at the last minute because you can’t be bothered to go out
17. Wait for the next bus rather than run for the one just leaving
18. Food shop online rather than go to the shop
19. Let the children watch television so you don’t have to play
20. Let the dog into the back garden rather than walk it