Number of fit adults in Britain soars to record high – but three major groups still lag behind
THE number of adults getting fit is at a record high, a report reveals.
Its figures show 64 per cent — more than 30 million — hit the NHS exercise target of 2.5 hours per week last year.
1
The number of adults getting fit is at a record high
Credit: Getty
It is up by 2.4 million on 2016 and higher than every year since.
Tim Hollingsworth, CEO of Sport
But he added: 'We know there is still much to do.
"Black and Asian people are still less likely to be active than white people.
READ MORE HEALTH NEWS
"And women are less likely to be active than men.
'It also remains grossly unfair that where a person lives and the size of their bank balance can have such a negative impact on whether they are physically active or not.
We will continue to target our investment at groups and places that need it most.'
The number of people classed as inactive fell by 477,000 in the 12 months to November 2024.
Most read in Health
Gardening, strenuous housework and long walks count towards the target.
Sessions in the gym and running also count.
Full-body at-home workout for mums
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Independent
4 hours ago
- Irish Independent
Chloe Meadows so ‘scared' she ignored ulcerative colitis symptoms for a decade
The former star of The Only Way Is Essex, 33, first discovered blood in her stool, a symptom of ulcerative colitis, when she was 16. 'I went to a college where I boarded when I was 16. I was staying away from home and I was living in a student house and there was blood down the toilet', she told Dr Oscar Duke's Bedside Manners podcast. 'I remember I told my mum and I was like, there's quite a lot of blood down the toilet. I'm not really sure what's going on. 'She was of course like, go to the doctors. I went to the doctors, and they said that I would have to have a colonoscopy, which is a camera into the bowel.' Meadows added: 'At this point in my life, I had never really ever been to the hospital. I'd never been sick. 'I'd never had any procedure or operation. I'd never been sedated. I'd never had anything and the doctor referred me and I got this letter, and this is awful, but I got this letter and I just never went to the appointment because I was terrified. 'Then I ignored it and what would happen, which is what I realise now, is that I can go into remission, I can go into a flare-up in remission. 'It would stop for periods of time so that the blood would go away. I'd be like, 'Oh, cool, it's gone away, I'm better. There's nothing wrong with me'. 'I'd go through years where it wouldn't happen and then it would happen again, and then it would stop again. 'I would probably lie to my mum about how much it would happen because she always pestered me about it and I was like, 'No, it's fine'. 'I just got on with it and ignored it. I think I was scared of having any procedure done. 'I was also scared of what they were going to tell me … I was just terrified, which is not really a reason not to go to the doctor, but I think that's just what I thought. I was just terrified, which is not really a reason not to go to the doctor, but I think that's just what I thought Chloe Meadows 'I was young as well, so I would forget when there wasn't blood down the toilet, I would completely forget.' Ulcerative colitis is a long-term condition where the colon and rectum become inflamed, according to the NHS website. Symptoms include recurring diarrhoea, which may contain blood, extreme tiredness, loss of appetite and weight loss. Meadows said she had some health checks aged 26, 10 years after her symptoms first appeared, after she went on a diet at a time where she was also losing a lot of blood. Her mother intervened and said she should go to the doctors and get a blood test as she looked 'grey'. While she was out filming, after she had the blood tests, Meadows received a number of missed calls from her father who then texted her to say a doctor had advised her she should got straight to A&E because her 'blood was so low'. 'I went to the hospital. I had to have all of these checks and these iron infusions and that was where it started,' she said. Meadows also revealed that she had 'probably my longest flare-up' after filming a nerve wracking scene on Towie. Some people with ulcerative colitis may go for weeks or months with very mild symptoms, or none at all (remission), followed by flare-ups and relapses, according to the NHS website. Treatment options include corticosteroids, immunosuppressants and surgery. Charity Crohn's And Colitis UK says there are more than 300,000 people in the UK living with colitis.
The Irish Sun
13 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
New fat jabs warning over ‘increased risk of cancer – as experts fear they ‘stop common medication working'
WEIGHT loss jabs could prevent a medication taken by millions of women from working - and increase patients' risk of cancer. The British Menopause Society said the jabs could cause hormone imbalance in women taking Advertisement 1 Women commonly take a progesterone pill along with oestrogen patches or cream Credit: Getty It follows warnings to women on weight loss medications to take effective contraception, as the jabs could render the pill less effective. That's because weight loss drugs Wegovy and Mounjaro - as well as diabetes jab Ozempic - can delay the absorption of pills taken orally, as well slowing down the passage of food through the gut. Guidance suggests women taking HRT in pill form may also be at risk. Advertisement Read more on HRT The treatment tops up the hormones oestrogen and progesterone, which dip to low levels as the menopause approaches. Data from 2023-24 showed that 2.6 million women in England rely on the drugs to alleviate hot flushes, night sweats, difficulty sleeping and mood changes. "During the last two years, since semaglutide and tirzepatide [the active ingredients in Wegovy and Mounjaro] received licenses for weight loss, there has been an increase in uptake of these medications through private clinics, while NHS prescribing is limited to specialist weight management services," the BMS guidance stated. "There are no current data available about numbers of women receiving HRT concurrently with semaglutide or tirzepatide." Advertisement Most read in Health The most common form of HRT is a progesterone pill alongside a skin patch or gel to deliver oestrogen, but some people opt for a combined pill. Progesterone balances out the effects of oestrogen, which on its own stimulates the growth of the womb lining, and can cause 'abnormal cells and cancer' to grow. Women taking fat jabs need 'effective contraception' - as health chiefs warn of serious harm to unborn babies The menopause experts expressed concern over the loss of the progesterone's protective effect on the womb as a result of weight loss jabs. They recommended that doctors move women taking progesterone orally to an intrauterine device, such as a Mirena coil, or increase their dose of progesterone. Advertisement Prof Annice Mukherjee, a consultant endocrinologist and member of the society's medical advisory council, who led on the guidance, told 'Oestrogen is almost always given through the skin for HRT in women living with obesity, but progesterone is frequently given as a tablet, and that formulation is thought to be the safest route for women who have complicated health issues,' she said. 'If we then start one of these injectable weight-loss drugs, then you're preferentially stopping absorption of the progestogen that's coming in orally, but you're allowing plenty of the oestrogen through the skin. 'The rules are very clear that if you give a very high dose of oestrogen and you don't give enough progesterone, however that happens, you're putting that woman at risk of womb cancer." Advertisement Prof Mukherjee added there was currently a 'culture of putting women on very high doses of oestrogen', which can make the womb lining thicken. 'It's like having a lawn in a woman's womb. Oestrogen makes the lawn grow. Progestogen cuts the lawn. But if it's not being cut, it grows thicker, and then you can get abnormal cells and cancer,' she said. Everything you need to know about fat jabs Weight loss jabs are all the rage as studies and patient stories reveal they help people shed flab at almost unbelievable rates, as well as appearing to reduce the risk of serious diseases. Wegovy – a modified version of type 2 diabetes drug Ozempic – and Mounjaro are the leading weight loss injections used in the UK. Wegovy, real name semaglutide, has been used on the NHS for years while Mounjaro (tirzepatide) is a newer and more powerful addition to the market. Mounjaro accounts for most private prescriptions for weight loss and is set to join Wegovy as an NHS staple this year. How do they work? The jabs work by suppressing your appetite, making you eat less so your body burns fat for energy instead and you lose weight. They do this my mimicking a hormone called GLP-1, which signals to the brain when the stomach is full, so the drugs are officially called GLP-1 receptor agonists. They slow down digestion and increase insulin production, lowering blood sugar, which is why they were first developed to treat type 2 diabetes in which patients' sugar levels are too high. Can I get them? NHS prescriptions of weight loss drugs, mainly Wegovy and an older version called Saxenda (chemical name liraglutide), are controlled through specialist weight loss clinics. Typically a patient will have to have a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher, classifying them as medically obese, and also have a weight-related health condition such as high blood pressure. GPs generally do not prescribe the drugs for weight loss. Private prescribers offer the jabs, most commonly Mounjaro, to anyone who is obese (BMI of 30+) or overweight (BMI 25-30) with a weight-related health risk. Private pharmacies have been rapped for handing them out too easily and video calls or face-to-face appointments are now mandatory to check a patient is being truthful about their size and health. Are there any risks? Yes – side effects are common but most are relatively mild. Around half of people taking the drug experience gut issues, including sickness, bloating, acid reflux, constipation and diarrhoea. Dr Sarah Jarvis, GP and clinical consultant at said: 'One of the more uncommon side effects is severe acute pancreatitis, which is extremely painful and happens to one in 500 people.' Other uncommon side effects include altered taste, kidney problems, allergic reactions, gallbladder problems and hypoglycemia. Evidence has so far been inconclusive about whether the injections are damaging to patients' mental health. Figures obtained by The Sun show that, up to January 2025, 85 patient deaths in the UK were suspected to be linked to the medicines. But she also stressed that the biggest risk factor for womb cancer was obesity - meaning that on the whole, weight loss jabs can cut the risk of disease. Advertisement 'These drugs reduce the risk of cancer,' Prof Mukherjee said. 'But if they are prescribed to a woman who's on oestrogen through the skin, and she might already have womb thickening because she's living with obesity, and she's not absorbing the progesterone because she's been put on a weight-loss injection, she's potentially getting loads of oestrogen on top of her thickened womb lining, and that could potentially unmask cancers that are there or drive an early cancer to a more advanced stage.' The BMS put together the guidelines after calls from GPs for advice to give to patients. Dr Janet Barter, the president of the Faculty of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare, told The Telegraph that weight loss jabs can cause side effects such as "vomiting and severe diarrhoea in some patients'. Advertisement 'Obviously this could render any medication, such as HRT tablets or oral contraception, ineffective if there hasn't been enough time for them to be fully absorbed,' she said. 'If these side-effects are occurring, then people should discuss the matter with their doctor or specialist clinician to find the combination of drugs that's right for them.' Sun Health has contacted Novo Nordisk and Eli Lilly - the makers of Wegovy and Mounjaro - for comment. It follows warnings from the Medicines and Healthcare products Agency (MHRA) that GLP-1 weight loss drugs could reduce the absorption of contraceptives, due to the fact they slow down the emptying of the stomach. Advertisement The watchdog also said the jabs should not be used during pregnancy, while trying to conceive or breastfeeding , over fears they could lead to or . The MHRA explained: 'This is because there is not enough safety data to know whether taking the medicine could cause harm to the baby.' Dr Bassel Wattar, a consultant gynaecologist and medical director of clinical trials at Anglia Ruskin University, told The Sun: 'It's not the medication itself, but the weight loss that helps regulate a woman's hormones allowing her ovaries to function properly again. 'Pregnancy is more of a happy side effect.' Advertisement
The Irish Sun
14 hours ago
- The Irish Sun
Major health warning as doctors warn of fast-spreading Covid 19 strain with ‘unusual symptoms' – 16 signs to watch for
HEALTH bosses have issued a major warning to the Irish public after a new strain of fast-spreading Covid-19 was spotted. A new variant of the same viral infection that caused the 2020 Advertisement 3 The new strain has unusual symptoms Credit: Getty 3 People who who the symptoms outlined should stay at home Credit: Getty It's been discovered in both the Republic of Ireland and And it's been reported in Hong Kong and New data from the Public And the Advertisement READ MORE IN HEALTH They recently added NB.1.8.1. to their watchlist, although they noted that while the strain is more transmissible than strain before, there is no evidence to suggest the symptoms are any worse. But public health officials have urged members of the public who are feeling unwell to stay at And Although older Covid strains caused flu and cold like symptoms, the new strain to more closely linked to gastrointestinal issues. Advertisement Most read in The Irish Sun This can lead to issues such as nausea, vomiting, diarrhoea, and heartburn. Associate Professor and Virology Research Leader at Griffith University, Dr Lara Herrero, explained: "Common symptoms [of NB.1.8.1] include sore throat, fatigue, fever, mild cough, muscle aches and nasal congestion." I was told Covid origins probe would lead us to gates of hell... Watergate was nothing compared to outrageous lab leak cover-up She added that gastrointestinal issues may also occur in some cases. The full list of symptoms of the new Covid variant have been outlined, with those suffering from them urged to stay home for 48 hours or until they feel better. Advertisement The first symptom is a high fever of 38C or above, including having chills or cold sweats. A second symptom is a dry cough, a burning cough which can irritate your throat and requires lots of water to soothe. Fatigue, tiredness, and a change to your sense of smell and taste are also among the symptoms. Another indicator is a runny or blocked nose, a sore throat, or a headache. Advertisement Conjunctivitis, also called pink eye, is another symptom. And having muscle of joint pain or an unusual rash could be a sign that you have the new strain. Diziness, chills, and loss of appetite are also among the symptoms. Lastly, shortness of breath, confusion, and pain or pressure in the chest could also be indicators that you have contracted the new strain. Advertisement Symptoms to watch out for Here are the 16 signs to watch out for A high fever Dry cough Fatigue Change to sense of smell or taste Runny or blocked nose A sore throat A headache Conjunctivitis Muscle of joint pain Unusual rash Dizziness Chills Loss of appetite Shortness of breath Confusion Pain or pressure in chest 3 The new strain is 'fast-spreading' Credit: Getty
