Britain has reached a record level of physical activity, giving millions of adults the chance to discover that the greatest barrier to exercise is not access, confidence or time, but a leisure app demanding proof that they are the person who just entered their own email address.
Sport England’s latest Active Lives Adult Survey found that 63.7% of adults in England met the Chief Medical Officers’ guideline of at least 150 minutes of moderate activity a week between November 2023 and November 2024. That is equivalent to around 30 million people, which is excellent news for the nation and a worrying development for anyone hoping to avoid being invited on a sponsored walk.
The figures also explain why a national celebration should come with several footnotes and a working postcode. Activity levels remain lower among people in more deprived places, disabled people and those with long term health conditions. Women are also less likely to meet the guideline than men.
The good news is that older adults and disabled people have seen increases in activity, while fitness activities and team sports have recovered from the disruption of the pandemic. The less good news is that joining in can still involve finding a suitable facility, affording it and navigating a booking system designed by someone who considers every user a potential international spy.
The Office of Mild Perspiration has welcomed the record by awarding the walk to the shops a medal for refusing to call itself a bootcamp. Coach Beryl Cones said the figures proved movement was for everyone, provided everyone could locate a facility, understand its pricing and remember which of their twelve passwords was created for Tuesday badminton.
Sport England says its data will help direct investment towards groups and places facing the greatest barriers. This is useful. It means someone might eventually receive support before being asked to download an app, create an account, verify the account, verify the verification and explain why they have suddenly become a suspiciously active email address.
Participation is not simply a matter of motivation. People need time, money, welcoming spaces and practical access. They may also need a booking system that does not treat a swimming session as a classified operation. A leisure centre should help people get moving, rather than require a small ceremonial proof of existence before it releases a badminton court.
The record has therefore been welcomed across Britain, where millions are now active enough to jog, swim or play team sport. The app has accepted this achievement and emailed everyone a link to confirm that Britain is still Britain, then asked Britain to prove it has access to the email address Britain just used.
Source: Sport England.
