ALMOST half of people in Wales have confessed to being so unfit they would get out of breath running for the bus, according to new statistics released by the British Heart Foundation
The BHF poll revealed almost half (49%) of adults said if they went running now the furthest they could manage is just half a mile or less. Only a quarter (24%) felt they could only make it to 100 metres.
Of those who could manage to run a mile, almost a quarter (39%) said the last time they did was over 10 years ago.
The statistics show almost a half (45%) of people in Wales say they don’t feel fit enough to join the gym or start exercising. For three in ten people just walking up a few flights of stairs would get them out of breath.
This May, the BHF is launching a brand new fundraising campaign MyMarathon, challenging people to put their best foot forward and run a marathon over a month to help raise money for life saving research.
The survey showed that a quarter (24%) of people in the UK feel running is only for people who are really fit and healthy.
Christopher Allen, Senior Cardiac Nurse at the BHF, said: “These statistics are concerning, and paint a worrying picture about the nation’s fitness levels. Heart disease can affect anyone at any age, but keeping physically active is one of the best ways to help build a strong and healthy heart so we shouldn’t ignore the benefits.
“MyMarathon allows people to complete the 26.2-mile challenge in their own time, whether it’s over 4 hours, 4 days or 4 weeks – deciding their own place and pace. It’s a great way to get active and join the fight against heart disease.
“Running a marathon is no easy feat, but with the MyMarathon challenge you decide the place and the pace, so it’s a great way for people of all fitness levels to get active and help support our vital research. Now everyone can say they’ve run a marathon this May!”
Heart and circulatory disease is responsible 1 in 4 deaths in Wales each year – that’s 25 people a day. And we know that quality of life is diminished for the 375,000 people across the length and breadth of Wales living with life-changing heart and circulatory disease each day.
Every pound raised from MyMarathon will help the BHF fulfil its ambition to fund half a billion pounds of new research in the next five years, to revolutionise and accelerate the fight against heart disease.
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