A quarter of young adults aged between 18 and 24 only walk an average of five minutes a day, according to Bupa who surveyed 2,000 people. Parents aged 42-54 years old blamed technology for keeping the young adults in the UK from walking and said they walked more than their children do when they were their age. The top excuse given by young adults for not walking was “I don’t have anyone to walk with” suggesting they were still lonely in the age of social media.
Fifteen percent of all adults admitted to giving up walking somewhere en route and getting public transport instead, at least once a week.
The average British woman was found to walk 12 minutes a day, while men walked an average of eight minutes.
Both fall short of the 30 minutes a day suggested by the British Heart Foundation.
Women were shown to be more likely to create excuses to get out of walking, with their top reasons being poor weather and feeling too tired.
Men generally blamed their hectic schedules and lack of time.
Dr Paula Franklin, UK medical director at Bupa, said: “It’s so easy to make numerous excuses but there are many health benefits to walking. For most people it is the most accessible form of physical activity, which is also free and can be great fun.
“For example, adding just 20 minutes walking to your day can dramatically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, which includes heart disease and strokes.”
-With telegraph.co.uk input
