27 July 2016

Regular Physical Activity, Spread Across the Day, Should Be Encouraged, Says RCGP

Dr Zoe Williams, RCGP Clinical Champion for Physical Activity and Lifestyle, has responded to a report in The Lancet on the possible health benefits of doing one hour of physical activity, spread across the day, on a daily basis.

She said: “GPs want their patients to live healthy lives for as long as possible, but without regular physical activity patients could be putting themselves at a greater risk of life-threatening diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity and cancer.

“Rates of obesity and diabetes are rising – costing the NHS billions each year – and our patients can reduce their risk of these diseases and conditions by increasing their level of daily physical activity. As this research shows, it doesn’t need to be a chore – one hour of exercise, spread across the day can make all the difference, and this should be encouraged.

“The College has recently announced Physical Activity and Lifestyle as a clinical priority, working to support GPs and our teams to inspire patients to make improvements to their lifestyle, which will in turn, help reduce their risk of lifestyle-related diseases.”

Further Information

RCGP Press office: 020 3188 7574/7575/7633
Out of hours: 0203 188 7659
press@rcgp.org.uk

Notes

The Royal College of General Practitioners is a network of more than 50,000 family doctors working to improve care for patients. We work to encourage and maintain the highest standards of general medical practice and act as the voice of GPs on education, training, research and clinical standards.