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People in the UK spend more than twice as much time on the toilet every week as they do exercising, a study has found.

Adults clock up an average of three hours and nine minutes on their loos per week – but spend just 90 minutes exercising.

A quarter of people exercise for 30 minutes or less each week, while two-thirds of Brits sit down for at least six hours a day, the survey showed.

The poll of 2,000 adults for fitness organisation UKactive also revealed that only 12 per cent of people know how much exercise is needed for good health.

The NHS recommends that adults do 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity exercise, such as cycling, swimming or brisk walking.

But it seems that social media can motivate younger people to exercise, although it has less influence on older age groups.

Almost half of 18 to 24-year-olds admitted that seeing friends and celebrities post exercise shots or videos on Instagram had a positive impact on their motivation.

Steven Ward, chief executive of UKactive, said: "Humans are made to move, but modern living has stripped physical activity out of our lives to the point where we pass more time spending a penny than we do getting sweaty.

"The major health concern here is our lack of exercise, but things like poor diet, lack of exertion and our tendency to play on smartphones in the bathroom are all other factors that are driving this inbalance."

According to UKactive, a lack of exercise claims 37,000 lives each year and costs the UK £20 billion.

Professor Sir Muir Gray, chief knowledge officer to the NHS, said: "Physical inactivity is society's silent killer and even short bouts of being sedentary can lead to deadly diseases.

"People often think exercise is only for young people, but older adults are the people who stand to gain most from the mental, social and physical benefits of being active."