Fewer than half of people over the age of 55 are getting the recommended amount of exercise per week, a survey has revealed.
While many people approaching retirement age are falling short of the recommended two-and-a-half hours of exercise a week, one in eight over 55s are not doing any exercise at all, Age UK has found.
Four in five (82%) older people are keen walkers and three-quarters carry out gardening at their home, the survey found. But just 8% attend the gym regularly and only 8% do aerobic exercise, the survey found, as Age UK encourages people to try out their local facilities for free on Tuesday's Gym Open Day.
But the lack of activity among some over 55s does not necessarily mean there is a lack of interest. One in four (27%) said they would like to give swimming a go, while 15% expressed some interest in going to the gym.
Some 14% liked the idea of attending exercises classes such as Pilates or yoga and 12% said they were interested in aerobic exercise.
Age UK head of wellbeing services Emma Spragg said: "Exercise is good for your physical and mental health whatever your age, but it's especially important as we get older, so it's great that this research shows that people want to keep more active in later life."
