London 2012 Olympic champion Greg Rutherford has called on the public not to turn into couch potatoes after Sport England warned of the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on the public’s physical activity.
A Sport England Active Lives Survey found that a record 28.6million adults in England were undertaking the recommended 150 minutes of moderate intense physical activity per week.
But Sport England chief executive Tim Hollingsworth said there were “areas of real concern” over the “unprecedented disruption the pandemic and lockdown is having on people’s activity habits”.
And Rutherford, who also won world, European and Commonwealth long jump titles, said: “On one level, I guess the lockdown is a free pass to be a couch potato and say I’ll just stay in and watch TV instead all the time. But that will cause more damage long-term if you’re completely idle for three months and not even doing your daily commute.”
The now retired athlete is among a host of celebrities to have signed up to Sport England’s Join the Movement campaign, including Strictly Come Dancing pair Oti Mabuse and Karen Hauer, and former England footballer Casey Stoney.
And Rutherford is hoping the ongoing lockdown could actually have a positive effect. “A lot of people say put down your phone or tablet and get active,” he said, “but those could become the main training tool we’ve got as you can’t go to the gym.
“So, get on your phone and give something new a go - there’s plenty of different things out there. This is a chance to reset our bodies and work as hard as we can.
“People don’t have to have done a lot of training. You can bounce ideas of each other, and there’s a community feeling of coming together. It can be anything: shadow boxing, running on the spot, dancing, there’s so many things people can do in the home.
“The key is to find something you enjoy – there’s plenty of different things for different people – and then take it slow, don’t overexert yourself.”
Greg Rutherford is partnering with Sport England to encourage the nation to #StayInWorkOut for the benefit of their mental and physical health - stayinworkout.org
