Meg urges over 50s to get physical

Figures released by the British Heart Foundation reveal that someone in the UK dies every 15 minutes as a direct result of physical inactivity.

Just 30 per cent of people over 50 in the UK get their recommended 30 minutes of exercise a day. For the 65-84 age group this falls to just 6 per cent. Yet just 30 minutes of exercise, five days a week can halve your risk of heart disease and many other illnesses.

Meg said, ‘Coronary heart disease is the second biggest killer in Hackney. People who take regular physical activity have twice the protection against coronary heart disease as those who are inactive.

‘Just walking to the shops or gardening could make a difference – it does not mean having to go to the gym.’

In a YouGov poll on reasons for not exercising, money came out as top with more than one in three people in the UK saying they would do more exercise if activities were cheaper. The British Heart Foundation has launched a campaign to highlight the every-day ways to be active such as washing the car, gardening or swimming.

For more information visit www.bhf.org.uk/30aday