Britons sit on the toilet twice as long as they exercise in a week: survey

Britons spend twice as long on the toilet every week as they do exercising, a poll suggests.

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

In fact, more than a quarter, 26%, of people exercise for 30 minutes or less each week, the survey showed.

And overall, almost two-thirds, 64%, of Britons sit down for at least six hours a day.

The poll of 2,000 adults for the notfor-profit body UKactive, also revealed that only 12% of people know how much exercise is needed for good health.

The NHS recommends that adults do 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise, such as cycling, swimming or brisk walking.

The UKactive poll also found the biggest 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.

But it seems that social media can motivate younger people to exercise, although it has less influence on older age groups.

While 28% of all age groups said seeing friends or celebrities post exercise shots or videos on Instagram had no impact on their motivation to exercise, 41% of 18 to 24-year-olds said it had a positive effect.

Steven Ward, chief executive of UKactive, said: “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 imbalance.”

30 MinUTes OR Less 23.53% 30 MinUTes TO 3 HOURs 41.18% MORe THAn 3 HOURs 35.29% Total number of votes: 102

We spend more time on the toilet than exercising in a week, a study has found.