Lack of exercise ‘boosts arthritis risk’

Failing to get enough exercise is significantly increasing people's risk of developing arthritis, a new study indicates.

As well as being a great way to lose weight, exercise boosts the performance of the whole body and helps to stave off age-related problems such as osteoarthritis, but very few people are doing their recommended amount of daily activity, the study by Arthritis Research UK and the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy shows.

Just five per cent of adults surveyed are doing the recommended amount of exercise weekly and, although exercising every day is vital to keep joints supple and muscles healthy, just one in ten active respondents said that joint health was their top reason for exercising.

Government health guidelines on exercise state that the average adult should get 150 minutes of exercise a week, but Greg Whyte, professor of sport and exercise science at Liverpool John Moores University and a former Olympic pentathlete, said people are not following these recommendations.

"Physical activity is the 'magic bullet' for health as it targets physical and mental health and, combined with its social benefits, it has the power to truly enhance well-being. I'd like to urge everyone to do exercise on a daily basis," he added.

Do you get enough exercise each week?