Working residents in Wales are in hibernation, with a fifth not leaving the office for most of the week

The BHF wants Brits to make the most of longer days and get on their bikes for the London to Brighton Bike Ride -_

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) is urging people in Wales to snap out of their winter blues, as new figures show that two thirds (64%) are holed up indoors, spending a maximum of two hours outdoors in an average working day.

With spring looming, the heart research charity has released the statistics to encourage people to get outdoors by signing up to its iconic London to Brighton bike ride on Sunday 17 June.

The BHF discovered that a fifth (21%) of residents don’t leave the office at all for at least four days a week and two thirds (64%) spend a maximum of two hours outdoors in an average working day.

Instead, people in Wales have stayed inside, with under half (46%) owning up to having stayed in their pyjamas all day and under two fifths

(37%) changing from work attire to pyjamas the moment they walk through the door. Over two fifths (41%) have also confessed to flaking on friends and family and cancelling plans to relax at home. Around a third

(30%) have admitted to getting a takeaway because it was too cold to go to the shops and a seventh (15%) have failed to go to the gym, on a run or cycle ride because it’s too cold.

Across the UK, women are more likely to take cover in the winter months.

Women are twice as likely than men to have stayed in pyjamas from the moment they wake up to when they go to bed (55% vs 27%) and are almost twice as likely to change into them as soon as they get home from work (54% vs 23%). Half of women (49%) also confessed to cancelling on a social activity to stay at home and unwind.

But people in the nation are concerned about how much time they are spending inside at work and home, with two fifths (61%) of residents worried that they are not getting enough fresh air and sunlight in the average working week. The BHF wants to start a spring awakening by encouraging everyone to get in the great outdoors and take on its flagship event, the London to Brighton Bike Ride, and join the fight against heart disease.

ELIZABETH TACK, EVENT LEAD FOR THE BHF’S LONDON TO BRIGHTON BIKE RIDE,

SAID: “We are all guilty of going into hibernation mode during the winter months, but now as the days are getting longer and the mercury levels rise, this is the perfect time to saddle up and embrace the outdoors.

“Our London to Brighton Bike Ride is a great goal to work towards as an individual or team and you can fit your training around your schedule.

Whether you choose to commute into work by bike or pedal miles through the city, coast or countryside at the weekend, step away from your four walls and explore the great outdoors. With 375,000 people living with heart and circulatory disease in Wales, every pound you raise will help make a difference to millions.”

The BHF’s London to Brighton Bike Ride has taken place for over 40 years and is Europe’s oldest charity cycling event. It’s a fantastic chance for families, friends and colleagues to enjoy a fun-filled day out, cycling through some of the UK’s most stunning sceneries. It’s not a race – it’s a ride for the fast and the fall behinds, the solo riders and the team players. This year’s event is sponsored by Jaffa(R) Fruit and will take place on Sunday 17 June.

By taking part in the London to Brighton Bike Ride or any our many events across the UK, you will help power ground-breaking research to bring new hope to the seven million people living with heart and circulatory disease in the UK.

To sign up for a BHF event, visit bhf.org.uk/events [1]