Summer of sport? Young generation aren’t inspired to work up a sweat

More than half of young people do less than 29 minutes of exercise a week, according to a survey commissioned by Cash Converters, despite a summer of sport in the UK.

The shocking results show that 32.1 per cent said they did no weekly physical activity at all that raised their heartrate above normal, while 23.5 per cent said they did less than 29 minutes.

It’s nowhere near the government’s recommended minimum moderate-intensity physical activity for an adult of 30 minutes, five days a week. Only 2.4 per cent of those questioned participate in the full recommended amount.

And they are also penny-pinchers when it comes to monthly spending on exercise, with two-thirds (66.1 per cent) saying they spent no money on it at all, followed by 18.1 per cent who said they paid out less than £19 a month.

The costs include, for example, gym fees, clothing and equipment. Women were marginally keener to shop with 36.3 per cent spending any money, compared to 30.5 per cent of men.

Lee Porter of Cash Converters said: “We were surprised to see how few people carried out exercise on a regular basis, but not surprised it isn’t something people spend a huge amount on.”