Edinburgh is among laziest places in Britain

FEW of us are getting as much exercise as we should during lockdown.

But Scotland’s capital has become one of the UK’s laziest locations, research has found.

The study by Body Ballancer – which distributes lymphatic massage systems – revealed Edinburgh shared joint second spot with Cambridge in a list of the country’s least-active cities.

Stoke-on-Trent topped the chart as the most laid-back place, with 81 per cent of people spending most of the day either on the sofa or lying in bed.

After Edinburgh and Cambridge with 75 per cent, Birmingham and London made up the top five with 74 and 73 per cent respectively.

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

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

shop, while the farthest most people 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 person in the UK 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 also found that 33 per cent of those interviewed suffer from regular headaches and migraines.