2.3 Physical activity

Physical activity and exercise (a subset of physical activity) can reduce the risk of many diseases by up to 30% (Figure 3).

However, many adults spend more than seven hours a day sitting down in their job, on transport or in leisure time. People aged over 65 years spend 10 hours or more each day sitting or lying down.

Physical activity is recommended as a daily activity or spread over four to five days each week (Table 1), with strength-building activities on at least two days (see Table 2 on the next page). 

The standard definitions for a person’s level of activity are:

Physically active – People who do 150 minutes or more a week

Fairly active – People who do between 30 and 149 minutes a week 

Physically inactive – People who do less than 30 minutes a week.

Adults should aim to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week. A ‘dose’ level of length of time per session has not been recommended by the NHS or government.

Muscle-strengthening exercises are not always an aerobic activity, so should be done in addition to other exercise.

It is a common misperception that strength building needs to be done in a gym. Examples can be found at

www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64

Reducing sedentary time spent sitting or lying down and breaking up long periods of not moving makes a difference. Recent evidence shows that doing exercise just once or twice a week can reduce the risk of heart disease or stroke. A systematic review concluded that health benefits plateau beyond 7,000 steps a day, so this is effective and more achievable for many people than the usually cited 10,000 steps.

Wearables such as Fitbit (or cheaper similar devices) and smartwatches or smartphones can be used to capture and track activity.