British mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise, survey finds

Majority of mothers do not exercise because they feel guilty about being away from their children, Sport England study finds Sport England found children with active parents more likely to be active too But 61% of mothers feel bad about taking time out for themselves to exercise Instead of prioritising exercise, mothers focus on housework and cooking 

By Dianne Apen-sadler For Mailonline

Published: 10:11 BST, 17 June 2019 | Updated: 10:15 BST, 17 June 2019

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The majority of mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise instead of being with their family, new research suggests.

Although more than three-quarters of mothers want to do more exercise, 61 per cent feel bad about taking time for themselves, a Sport England survey has revealed.

This comes despite the public body linking active parents to healthier attitudes towards exercise among children later in life.

The survey of 1,006 mothers of children under the age of six found that lack of time was the top reason given for not doing exercise.

Instead of keeping fit, women are prioritising housework, cooking, and spending time with their family. 

The majority of mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise instead of being with their family, a Sport England survey has found (file photo)

The majority of mothers feel guilty about taking time out to exercise instead of being with their family, a Sport England survey has found (file photo)

As well as this, three in 10 of the women questioned said they had less than an hour of free time each day, and one in five said cost was the main thing preventing them from staying active.

Lisa O'Keefe, insight director at Sport England said: 'Children with active parents - particularly mothers - are more likely to be active themselves.

'And children who have positive experiences of sport and physical activity early on are also more likely to prioritise being active in later life.

'All of us have a role to play in making mums

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