Doctors recommend walking between 8,000 and 10,000 steps every day

The president of the Spanish Society for the Study of Obesity, Francisco Tinahones, spoke to SUR recently when he was attending the European Obesity Conference in Oporto, in Portugal, and he stressed the need for people to exercise in order to prevent excess weight and obesity.

He recommends walking, taking between 8,000 and 10,000 steps every day, which is the equivalent of a 70 to 80 minute walk. People should aim for one million steps in 100 days, he says.

However, the survey carried out by Seedo shows that more than 30 per cent of people with obesity spend more than five hours of their leisure time sitting down.

This is extreme, and encourages weight gain because the calories are not being burned off.

Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle is key to overcoming obesity. Dr Tinhaones says that as well as walking fast, other healthy habits are cycling, swimming and muscular exercise. Each person needs to choose the type of activity that is best for their physical condition.

In addition to exercise, it is vital to eat a low-calorie diet based on cereals, vegetables, pulses and fruit, to tackle excess weight and obesity.