Hundreds of thousands of individuals are adopting Public Health England’s fitness app ‘Couch to 5k’ to keep themselves fit during the lockdown. The NHS has also backed the app.
Between March 2020 and June 2020, the app was downloaded 858,000 times compared with 448,000 times during the same time last year. This translates to a 92 per cent surge in downloads.
'Couch to 5k' is a running plan designed for individuals who are unfit or do not exercise regularly to take positive steps towards improving their health and fitness. The app provides guided commentary and helps individuals in tracking their progress, with getting three runs per week.
Over two-thirds of individuals in England are overweight or obese, with obesity-related hospital admissions increasing year on year. Recent evidence points to a clear association between obesity and increased risk of COVID-19 mortality in the UK. NHS leaders believe fitness apps such as 'Couch to 5k' could help more people to lead healthier lifestyles.
Rosanna O’Connor, Acting Director, Health Improvement at Public Health England, said: "Keeping active is not only good for our physical health but also crucially at this time helping us look after our mental health. And staying fit and healthy means we’re also playing our part in supporting the NHS."
