Physical Activity

The 2019 UK CMOs' Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity each week, plus muscle-strengthening activities on at least 2 days a week. Older adults should additionally include activities to improve balance and coordination.^{[1]UK CMOs 2019[2]NHS}

Crucially, the CMOs adopt the position that "some is good, more is better": health benefits accrue at doses below the target, particularly for previously inactive adults, and breaking up prolonged sitting matters in its own right.^{[1]UK CMOs 2019}

Sport England's Active Lives Adult Survey classifies adults doing less than 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity per week as "inactive". The most recent report (November 2024–25, published April 2026) shows 24.7% of English adults are inactive, with the highest rates among older adults, disabled adults, and people in the most deprived areas.^{[3]Sport England}

A 2019 BMJ harmonised meta-analysis of accelerometer-measured activity in over 36,000 adults found a non-linear, steep dose–response: the largest reductions in all-cause mortality came from moving from the lowest activity quartile to the second. Replacing 30 minutes of sedentary time per day with light-intensity activity was associated with ~17% lower mortality.^{[4]BMJ 2019}

A 2022 meta-analysis in The Lancet Public Health pooled 15 cohorts and found mortality risk fell with higher daily step counts up to ~6,000–8,000 steps for adults aged 60+ and ~8,000–10,000 steps for adults under 60, with diminishing benefit beyond.^{[5]Paluch 2022}

A 2022 systematic review in BJSM pooled 16 prospective cohort studies and found muscle-strengthening activities were independently associated with 10–17% lower risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular disease, total cancer, diabetes and lung cancer, maximised at roughly 30–60 minutes per week.^{[6]Momma 2022}

The UK CMOs explicitly recommend minimising extended periods of being sedentary and breaking up long sitting with activity of any intensity. The NHS's everyday guidance translates this into standing or walking breaks every 30 minutes during prolonged sitting.^{[1]UK CMOs 2019[2]NHS}

"If physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure." — UK Chief Medical Officers, 2019

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