A sedentary lifestyle is a ticking time bomb for health | Letters

Regarding your report (a record 3.7 million workers in England will have a serious illness by 2040, research shows, April 17), what is so tragic about these findings is that many long-term conditions could be prevented by being less sedentary lifestyle. Our latest data from the Healthier Nation Index highlights that Britain is facing a crisis of inactivity, with consequences for our health, economy and future generations.

Three in four people still don’t meet the NHS guideline of 150 minutes of moderate exercise per week, and fewer than two in five recognize that exercise can reduce their risk of developing cancer and heart disease by 50%. In other words, 75% of us save avoidable health problems for the future.

What is needed is for all major political parties to commit to a national exercise strategy, to promote physical activity and embed exercise into every aspect of society, to benefit the health and economic well-being of the country. As former chief medical officer Sally Davies once said, “If physical activity were a medicine, we would talk about it as a miracle cure.”
Dr. Davina Deniszczyc
Medical and Charity Director, Nuffield Health