THE MINIMUM AMOUNT of activity we all need to do to stay in good health is 150 minutes of moderate exercise weekly, or 75 minutes of more vigorous activity. But one-third of UK adults don’t do enough, according to a recent World Health Organization report.
There can be all sorts of reasons for that – from lack of time to finding exercise dull – but a surprising number of us are kept on the couch and in our comfort zone by simple fear. Research by Sport England has identified lack of confidence as a key reason women, in particular, don’t work out enough. This can play out as anxiety preventing you getting to your Zumba class – or you may have a full-on phobia, says exercise psychologist Dr Julie Johnston, who lectures at Nottingham Trent University.