The average Brit walks fewer than 1,000 steps per day, just ONE TENTH of the recommended number, according to new research.

A nation-wide study of Brits has revealed the true extent to which our lifestyles have become sedentary, with almost 1,000 emerging as the average steps taken per person in the UK, despite advice from doctors and health experts to take at least 10,000 steps daily.

And when it comes to going to the gym or working out – Brits have all the excuses, with being unable to find our earphones, being too unfit to work-out and something good on the telly among the most common excuses Brits give for not wanting to go to the gym, according to a new study.

Worryingly, of those polled, nearly two thirds (65 percent) said they take their health for granted and need to look after their body a bit more, while 19 percent said they always get their partner and colleagues to fetch things for them.

Similarly, the research showed the average Brit is sedentary for up to six and a half hours a day, with one in five describing themselves as ‘very lazy’.

Ten percent of Brits think there is little point in doing exercise of any sort because Christmas is around the corner and nearly one in twenty won’t go and work-out if it’s happy hour in their local pub.

The study was commissioned to help raise funds to find a much-needed cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy – a muscle wasting disease that effects 1 in 3500 Brits – with most boys only living until their mid-twenties.

Alex Smith, the founder of Harrison’s Fund, whose son was diagnosed with the disease in 2011 said: “We can all relate to that feeling of not wanting to drag ourselves to the gym – especially on these cold nights. But people suffering with Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy simply don’t have that option. Muscle degeneration is an inevitability and something we are raising awareness and funds to try to cure.

“What we’re saying with this campaign is simply, don’t take your muscles for granted. if you’re going to skip the gym this week, then why not get a better excuse. As is clear from these statistics, we can all struggle to get motivated – so why not make a good excuse this week and help turn a little bit of laziness into hope for someone else.”

Three in ten said they will use any old excuse for getting out of exercise with a popular excuse being that their phone is flat so they won’t have any music to listen to.

But a confident one in twenty reckon they look great anyway so they don’t need to bother with the gym and many said they don’t want to get too buff.

Not surprisingly then, the average Brit gets of a gym session at least four times in a typical month.

Three in ten of the 1,500 adults polled said they have not got much use out of their gym gear and sports equipment – with the average adult confessing to wasting £176 on unused gym memberships and high-end workout gear.

According to the study, one in five claim they “always” take the lift rather than the stairs, while a quarter of Brits will always park as close to the shops as they can in a bid to reduce the distance they need to walk.

While the majority drive to work, more than one in ten (11 percent) said they would rather miss their bus or train than pick up speed and run to catch it.

To get a good excuse to skip the gym today and help Harrison’s Fund fund a cure for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy visit www.gymexcuses.com

TOP EXCUSES TO GET OUT OF EXERCISING

1. Too tired
2. Too cold to venture outside
3. I’m so unfit, I won’t be able to do anything
4. I’ve got the start of a cold, so I don’t want to make it worse
5. It’s winter so no one sees my body anyway
6. My favourite TV show is on
7. Christmas is around the corner so there’s little point
8. I’m too hungry
9. I want to be thinner before I go to the gym
10. There is no point because I’ve stuffed my face today
11. My gym buddy can’t make it, so I won’t go alone
12. I look great anyway, so I don’t need to go
13. I need to help the kids with their homework
14. Gym gear is in the wash
15. The dog can’t stay home alone
16. Need to be rested for a big night out
17. I ran for the bus today so that’s my exercise for the day
18. It’s happy hour in the pub
19. Gym gear is too tight
20. My friends are in worse shape than me so that’s ok
21. I can’t find my earphones
22. My phone is out of charge, so I have no music
23. I don’t want to get too ripped

The London Psychiatry Centre (TLPC) of Harley Street has partnered with leading provider of private medical services, LycaHealth, to offer repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), the ground-breaking and highly effective treatment for depression and anxiety, at Canary Wharf.

Rankings from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) show that Britain is one of the most depressed countries in Europe, and a recent survey showed that 34% of British workers are dealing with anxiety, depression or stress (PwC). This partnership brings the UK’s most experienced and pioneering team in rTMS to those who work in some of the most high pressured and stressful environments in the UK.

According the the Centre for Urban Design and Mental Health, city dwellers have a 40% increased risk of depression compared to those based outside the City. The partnership between TLPC and LycaHealth brings the innovative treatment of rTMS to the densely clustered business district of Canary Wharf, where over 100,000 people work.

rTMS is an effective, drug-free, non-invasive and pain-free treatment for depression. rTMS uses magnetic pulses to stimulate areas of the brain that regulate mood. Of 44 centres in the US and Australia that have published rTMS treatment results for treatment-resistant depression, the remission rate is 29%. There are no published treatment outcomes available in the UK other than those from TLPC. At TLPC, remission rate for treatment-resistant depression with rTMS is over 60%, with 74.2% of women and 58% of men recovering in an average of 4.3 weeks. These results were published in peer reviewed publications, including a presentation at The Royal College of Psychiatrists annual meeting in August 2017. The CQC stated in its inspection report that TLPC pioneered rTMS in the UK.

Dr Andy Zamar, Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director of TLPC, said: “We are delighted to announce our partnership with LycaHealth, and bring our unique expertise with the very high success rate in rTMS at Harley Street to Canary Wharf. Our partnership represents this vision by not only extending the tailormade care packages available to our clients, but by making innovative treatments for depression accessible for those based in the City and the East London area. LycaHealth’s cutting-edge facilities, personal care and commitment to exceeding expectations, combined with our dedication to excellence is a natural fit.”

TLPC was a national adviser to The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) in issuing guidance on rTMS treatment for depression (IPG542) and has been described by the CQCas ‘innovative’ and ‘pioneering’ in their contribution to mental health treatment and research in the UK. The CQC highlighted in its inspection report that:
“Feedback from patients was very positive about the service, with some patients describing life changing treatments, following years of unsuccessful treatments elsewhere.”

“Staff provided innovative treatments to patients who could not easily access these elsewhere. They published papers in medical journals, and contributed to innovations in mental health provision in the UK.”

“Patients received a range of treatments which were not available in other settings, including repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, and external trigeminal nerve stimulation. Patients spoke highly of the impact of these treatments following unsuccessful previous treatments with medicines.”

Research has shown that moving to a new home during childhood can be damaging to health and wellbeing, including mental health later in life. The Health Insurance Group believes this adds weight to its view that employers need to consider an employee’s family and dependants – as well as the employee themselves – when providing support during a placement overseas.

Highest risks for adolescents who relocate

The long-term study*, which followed 1.4m Danish children into adulthood, showed an increased likelihood of adverse outcomes in adulthood for individuals who had moved home in childhood, with the highest risks being among those who had moved frequently in early adolescence.

What can employers do to mitigate the risks?

Employers can help to mitigate these risks for employees and their families by looking at preventative measures to support mental and physical wellbeing at every stage of a move and return from an overseas assignment. This makes sound business sense too, as preventing any issues for both the employee and their dependants supports productivity and creates an environment where everyone gets the most out of an assignment.

Five Ways to Wellbeing

The mental health charity Mind** suggests ‘5 Ways to Wellbeing’, and The Health Insurance Group has shown how employers could use this as a framework for thinking about the best ways to support the family and encourage self-care. The five ways are Connect, Be Active, Take Notice, Learn and Give.

In the context of caring for families overseas, the following are examples of how employers can support the wellbeing of staff and their dependants.

§  Connect – Encourage employees and family members to join local expat groups and local clubs, organise an expat buddy scheme so families can meet up with each other and share experiences including playdates for children of similar ages; advertise and encourage the use of employee assistance programme (EAP) support lines.

§  Be Active – Organise sporting events and encourage employees to get the whole family engaged in active pastimes, offer corporate gym discounts.

§  Take Notice – Provide access to mindfulness workshops or classes.

§  Learn – Provide opportunities for learning about the host culture and local language.

§  Give – Organise family-orientated fundraisers for local charities and volunteering opportunities that could include supporting other relocating employees as they arrive.

Sarah Dennis head of international, The Health Insurance Group says:

“For World Mental Health Day we want to remind employers of the importance of looking after the health and wellbeing of the children and families of the employees they send overseas. Expat positions offer great opportunities to see and live in another country, with proper support and care it can be a really positive experience for everyone. Looking after dependants is as important to a successful assignment as it is looking after the employee.”