At least that is the belief of one in five children interviewed as part of a survey undertaken by The British Heart Foundation to launch its Food4Thought campaign.

They surveyed more than 1,000 children aged 8 to 15 and one in five (20 per cent) said exercise was “a chore” that was only needed by people who are overweight.

Overall, 78 per cent were unaware of the recommended daily amount of exercise they should be getting, with 30 per cent saying they “can’t be bothered”.

Only one in eight (13 per cent) get the right amount of exercise, while 30 per cent do less than an hour each week.

Meanwhile, 55 per cent of youngsters admitted spending an hour or more a day texting or chatting to their friends, or visiting social networking websites.

Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care for the BHF, said: “We have a generation of kids growing up who have a shockingly blasé attitude towards exercise and being active.”

Source: The independent