Stoke on sofa – the laziest place in Britain

FEW of us are getting as much exercise as we should during the pandemic. But new research shows that 70 per cent of people in the UK lead a ‘completely sedentary lifestyle’, spending more than 11 hours of the waking day either sitting or lying down.

Stoke-on-Trent tops the list as the most laid-back location, with 81 per cent in the West Midlands city spending most of the day either on the sofa or lying in bed.

Cambridge and Edinburgh are in joint second place with 75 per cent, while Birmingham and London make up the top five least active cities with 74 and 73 per cent respectively, according to the poll.

Overall, 69 per cent lead a completely sedentary lifestyle, spending an average of 11 hours and 12 minutes sitting or lying down during the daytime.

More than four in ten people – 43 per cent – regularly drive to their local shop, while the farthest most people

‘The biggest culprit for bad health is being too sedentary’

are prepared to walk before getting in the car is just two-thirds of a mile.

And bosses may be disturbed to find that the average Brit working from home spends almost four hours sitting on the sofa and a further three hours and 48 minutes lying on their bed.

The study of 2,000 adults found this inactivity is harming health – with 42 per cent saying their lifestyle leaves them feeling exhausted, 39 per cent struggling with insomnia and 37 per cent suffering anxiety.

When it comes to diet, more than half of us are eating high-sugar processed or fried food every day, with 20 per cent saying their diet is worse than it was a year ago.

One in ten do not drink any water in an average day, relying on tea, coffee or fizzy drinks to keep them hydrated. And 22 per cent are drinking at least two alcoholic drinks a day, with the stress of lockdown the main reason.

The study by Body Ballancer – which distributes lymphatic massage systems – also found that 33 per cent of those interviewed suffer from regular headaches and migraines.