Seeking a healthier life style? Being tired doesn't help: UK survey

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
17 May 2023 10:24

Anxiety and a lack of drive are top polling reasons why people do not increase their activity and improve their diet.

Skateboarder Sky Brown (UK) practices during a stop on the Dew Tour, which showcases athletes before skateboarding makes its Olympic debut in Tokyo, at Lauridsen Park in Des Moines, Iowa, US, on May 19, 2021. (Reuters)

A new survey found out 35% of people put off making dietary and exercise modifications that might help them narrow the gap between their intentions and actual behavior because they are too fatigued to do so.

The findings of a YouGov survey of 2,086 UK adults for the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) highlighted the difficulties that many people face when trying to develop and maintain healthy behaviors.

Commenting on what was preventing them from eating more healthily and exercising more often, 29% of men and 40% of women said "feeling too tired."

Even more (38%) attributed it to a "lack of motivation". The expense of food (30%), a lack of time (26%), and work/life balance (25%) were all frequently cited justifications. Others mentioned a lack of confidence (16%), spending money on equipment or a gym membership (25%), and "not knowing where to start" (12%).

In the representative sample of the British people questioned online, only one in four (24%) indicated nothing prohibited them from implementing healthy lifestyle changes.

According to World Cancer Research Fund and Cancer Research UK, 40% of all occurrences of cancer may be prevented if more people led better lives, such as those including healthier diet, greater physical activity, keeping a healthy weight, avoiding sunburn, and quitting smoking.