A new report is arguing that personal trainers should be put in every doctor’s surgery and job centre to help tackle the UK’s physical inactivity problem.
A lack of exercise causes approximately 37,000 deaths each year in the UK and the cost to the economy is £20 billion annually.
The report, Blueprint For An Active Britain, has been published by the not-for-profit group ukactive, which is funded by its members, including charities, councils, gyms, leisure centres, lifestyle companies and exercise equipment firms.  UKactive’s Chair of the Board is Paralympic Champion Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson.
A key recommendation is that every GP surgery should have access to a trained professional who can help patients work on their fitness and improve their cardio-respiratory and mental health. The physical activity professionals should become a key part of delivery in a similar way to how surgeries have access to physiotherapists.  This personal trainer could help patients work on their fitness and improve mental health.
Figures suggest around one in three Britons are inactive and fail to achieve 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week.. This gives them a significantly greater risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, hypertension, dementia and mental health problems.