Skip to content 
Search

Latest Stories

Nearly 50% of UK women do no intense exercise: Survey

More than half (55%) said a lack of time due to work was a barrier.

Nearly 50% of UK women do no intense exercise: Survey

According to the NHS, vigorous exercise includes activities such as running, swimming, gymnastics, or an aerobics class. However, almost half of the women in the UK have done no vigorous exercise in the past year, a survey has suggested.

Data from the healthcare charity Nuffield Health shows that the percentages are lower for men - just over a third have not exercised in the past 12 months, reports the Guardian.


For most men and women, a lack of motivation is reported to be the cause of this.

The Independent reported that in February, the results of an online survey of 8,000 adults across the UK suggested that 38% of women blamed the lockdown for making them quit the habit of exercising.

More than a third (37 percent) reported that their physical health deteriorated in the previous 12 months and 47 percent reportedly stated that they failed to engage in any vigorous exercise.

More than two-thirds of women (67 percent) cited a lack of motivation, reported the Independent. This was in comparison with 51 percent for men.

Additionally, it was also discovered that 35 percent of women said they felt they did not know where to start when it came to exercise. The percentage of men who felt this way was 28 percent.

For women, (55 percent) exercise reportedly took a back seat due to work commitments. For men, this percentage was reportedly 46 percent.

The organisation’s Healthier Nation Index discovered that 11 percent of women said they got into good exercise habits but struggled to maintain them. Additionally, 14 percent gave up exercising completely, reports the Guardian.

The tennis coach Judy Murray, the mother of the Wimbledon champion Andy Murray and ambassador for the Healthier Nation Index, is reported to have said the data showed a “really big challenge” in terms of “getting the nation active”, especially women, who she said were “struggling to find the time to focus on their wellbeing.”

She added, “I hope everyone can spare a few minutes to find something active they enjoy doing, as well as finding someone that they can do it with.

“Exercising with friends helps me find both motivation and routine as well as providing an extra boost for my mental health, so I encourage everyone to gather friends and get moving together.”

Adding vigorous exercise to your overall fitness routine is one way to increase your calorie burn, boost your metabolism and improve your heart health, reports Healthline.

According to the American Heart Association, for an activity to be vigorous, you need to work at 70 to 85 percent of your maximum heart rate.

Some examples of vigorous exercise include:

•          running

•          walking briskly uphill with a heavy backpack

•          cycling at 10 mph or faster

•          jumping rope

 

It’s quite simple to increase your exercise intensity, reports Healthline. You could still participate in your favourite activities but just at a more vigorous pace.

The biggest benefit of vigorous exercise is that you can reap the same health benefits you get with moderate-intensity exercise but in less time. For instance, if you are hard-pressed for time, you could always opt for a 20-minute strenuous workout instead of a 40-minute slower workout session and the health benefits would be the same.

 But will pushing yourself harder bring you extra health benefits?

"Absolutely," says Jeff Coombes from the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Studies at the University of Queensland.

In a report in EveryDay, professor Coombes is quoted as saying, "With some limitations, there's good evidence the more [intense exercise] you do, the better off you'll be."  

He adds that while higher-intensity exercise isn't essential, it will definitely improve your level of fitness.

Nuffield has reportedly launched a Find Time For Your Mind campaign which aims to encourage people to do five extra minutes of exercise a day to boost mental and physical well-being.

More For You

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

FILE PHOTO: Keir Starmer (L) with Narendra Modi. (Photo: Getty Images)

Modi set for UK visit to sign free trade agreement

INDIA's prime minister Narendra Modi is likely to travel to the UK by the end of this month for a visit that could see both sides formally sign the landmark India-UK free trade agreement and explore ways to expand bilateral ties in the defence and security sphere, diplomatic sources said.

Both sides are in the process of finalising the dates for Modi's visit to the country by the end of July or the first part of August, they said.

Keep ReadingShow less
Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

Rishi Sunak. (Photo by Carl Court/Getty Images)

Rishi Sunak returns to Goldman Sachs, will donate salary to charity

FORMER prime minister Rishi Sunak has returned to the banking world as senior adviser at Goldman Sachs group, with plans to donate his salary to the education charity he recently established with his wife Akshata Murty.

The US-headquartered multinational investment bank, where Sunak worked before entering politics, made the announcement on Tuesday (8) after the requisite 12-month period elapsed since the British Indian leader's ministerial term concluded following defeat in the general election on July 4 last year.

Keep ReadingShow less
 Post Office Horizon

A Post Office van parked outside the venue for the Post Office Horizon IT inquiry at Aldwych House on January 11, 2024 in London.

Getty Images

Post Office scandal linked to 13 suicides, says inquiry

Highlights:

 
     
  • Public inquiry finds up to 13 suicides linked to wrongful Post Office prosecutions.
  •  
  • Horizon IT system faults led to false accusations, financial ruin, and imprisonment.
  •  
  • Sir Wyn Williams says Post Office maintained a “fiction” of accurate data despite known faults.

A PUBLIC inquiry has found that up to 13 people may have taken their own lives after being wrongly accused of financial misconduct by the Post Office, in what is now described as one of the worst miscarriages of justice in British history.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK ramps up drought response following driest spring

The EA has begun conducting more compliance checks on high-usage industries

Getty Images

UK ramps up drought response following driest spring since 1893

Key points

  • Spring 2025 was England’s driest and warmest in over 130 years
  • Reservoirs across England only 77% full, compared to 93% average
  • Environment Agency increases monitoring and drought planning
  • North-west England officially declared in drought

Water conservation measures stepped up ahead of summer

The UK government has increased efforts to manage water resources after confirming that England experienced its driest and warmest spring since 1893. The Environment Agency (EA) reported that reservoirs were on average only 77% full, significantly lower than the usual 93% for this time of year.

The announcement came after a National Drought Group meeting on Thursday, which reviewed the impact of continued dry weather on crops, canal navigation, and river flows. Poor grass growth and dry soil conditions were noted as threats to food production and livestock feed.

Keep ReadingShow less
Norman Tebbit

Following Thatcher’s third general election victory in 1987, Tebbit stepped back from frontline politics to care for his wife. (Photo: Getty Images)

Getty Images

Former minister, Thatcher ally Norman Tebbit dies at 94

Norman Tebbit, a close ally of former British prime minister Margaret Thatcher and a former Conservative Party cabinet minister, has died at the age of 94. His son William confirmed the news on Tuesday.

"At 11:15 pm on 7th July, 2025, Lord Tebbit died peacefully at home aged 94," William Tebbit said in a statement.

Keep ReadingShow less