Overworked Britons have no time to keep fit, study claims

Some people said they felt too 'too old' to exercise

Some people in the UK are dedicated to keeping fit whatever the weather. Pictured: a jogger runs up Primrose Hill, London, UK, as the sun begins to rise on 31 January 2019. The UK has endured the coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures dropping as low as -13c in Scotland. (Leon Neal/Getty Images))

People in the UK are struggling to stay fit because they are overworked and simply do not have the time, according to a new survey.

Regardless of the fact six in 10 vowed to get fit, 42 per cent said they were strapped for time. One in four said they spent too long at work, while 56 per cent are "too tired" - and 41 per cent felt "too old" to exercise.

Nearly a third had skipped a workout because the weather is too bad, and another one in 10 because the weather was too nice.

Over one in four said eating too much is the reason they refrain from meeting a commitment to workout, while 15 per cent said they’d rather watch Netflix.

However, a lot of common excuses come down to convenience.

As few as 29 per cent of respondents consider working out to be convenient and on average only has 89 minutes of free time a day, the survey results found.

The average respondent said they worked out twice a week - a number that would jump to five times a week, was it more convenient and less expensive.

Furthermore, the majority of respondents (69 per cent) said they believed regular exercise would help them quit bad habits.

"We see a catch 22 situation," said Daniel Sobhani, CEO of Freeletics, which commissioned the research. “In this study, “Sixty-nine per cent believe regular exercise would help them quit their bad habits.

“Yet because so many are facing these common barriers to fitness, they can’t break out of the circle. Additionally, 46 percent feel even their work has been a workout barrier, so this is an opportunity to push for positive change. It’s time fitness became more convenient. And this is exactly why we at Freeletics aim to eliminate all workout excuses.”

Mr Sobhani said the launch of a "Netflix for fitness" style app meant people could work out "wherever and whenever" - which he said was akin to having a personal trainer in the pocket.

SWNS