Interesting

Working standing up for just three hours a day has the same health benefits as doing ten marathons a year, a top sports medic has claimed as he criticised government exercise guidelines for putting people off by being too demanding.

Dr Mike Loosemore, a leading sport medicine consultant, said people should be encouraged to do more low level exercise and make minor lifestyle changes such as standing up more often.

He claimed that being on your feet for three hours, five days a week, is as effective as running ten marathons a year and can extend life by two years.

The head of exercise medicine at the Institute of Sport Exercise and Health at University College London, warned that 28 per cent of the UK population now do less than 30 minutes of exercise each week.

But he claimed the government guidelines, which advise people to do 30 minutes of ‘moderate’ exercise five days a week, discourage people from becoming active by setting targets which appear too daunting.