Sedentary Britain

The extent to which Brits have become a sedentary nation has been revealed by a new study, with more than 8 out of ten (84%) admitting there are days they don’t leave the office from the minute they get in, to the moment they leave.

Only just under a third (28%) take a lunch break most days, but 37 percent said they never or hardly ever get the chance to go outside for fresh air. During the darker winter months, 95 percent confess they do not see sunlight during the day – a disapproving boss and colleagues making them feel guilty for getting a breath of fresh air at midday are reasons given for staying wedged to their desk.

And with the clocks recently going back, more than half of us (58%) will leave and return home in the dark and with a lack of getting out for lunch, over a third (36%) say they now never see daylight during their working day. The poll, by Nature Valley, found two thirds (67%) of UK workers said being in the office all day left them tired, 31 percent felt trapped and depressed and more than one in five (22%) said they felt like a battery farmed chicken.

Aston spoke to Professor Charles Spence, experimental psychologist at the University of Oxford to discuss the research in further detail.