Push-ups are the nation’s most hated exercise but Britons love to squat and use cans as weights at home, a study reveals.
Many resort to multitasking in an effort to hit activity targets, finding extra opportunities to move when cooking, cleaning and even brushing their teeth.
Over one in three people (36 per cent) say they dislike push-ups, followed by burpees (29 per cent), planks (24 per cent) and chin-ups (24 per cent).
The fearsome five is completed by crunches (22 per cent), according to the poll of 2,075 adults for Age UK’s ‘Act Now, Age Better’ campaign.
Meanwhile, the most loved are squats (20 per cent) and lunges (14 per cent).
Age UK is encouraging people to make small, proactive changes that could help improve their physical health and the quality of their later years.
One in five people (20 per cent) stay active at home by running up and down the stairs, while 10 per cent use chairs or a sofa for tricep dips or elevated push-ups.
A time-efficient 15 per cent do exercises such as squats or lunges while waiting for the kettle to boil and 10 per cent balance on one leg while brushing their teeth.
Furthermore, 9 per cent dance while hoovering and 2 per cent squat while in the shower. Others claim they hula hoop while reading.
The findings demonstrate it is not necessary to travel to the gym to exercise, with many making use of common household items to help keep them in shape.
The most commonly used are cans or jars (11 per cent), water bottles (10 per cent), pillows or cushions (9 per cent) and towels (7 per cent).
Some 3 per cent fill their shopping bags with objects to turn them into weights. Others use oil drums, firewood logs and milk bottles filled with pebbles.
Finally, 2 per cent have their pets join them in an at-home workout, with one saying they have dance sessions with all four of their dogs, another who holds their pet on their chest as a weight while doing sit-ups and a third whose cat loves to climb on their back during yoga.
TV presenter and Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Rippon said: ‘Our bodies are machines that are full of thousands of moving parts.
‘And like any machine, if we don’t keep those parts oiled and moving, they will seize up and let us down.
‘Dancing is one of the best exercises you can do for the health and wellbeing of your mind as well as your body.
‘So just let yourself go and move to the music on the radio.
‘I often get up and dance to the music of the commercials that come up in my favourite TV programme.’
Dr Hussain Al-Zubaidi, a GP and personal trainer, said: ‘It’s easy to feel put off by the word “exercise”.
‘When it’s used, we often picture someone at full blast, hot and sweaty, maybe running or lifting what seems like too much weight in an impressive gym setup.
‘But “exercise” is anything that gets us moving and it all counts. ‘That’s why with patients and clients I use the word “movement”.
‘Most importantly, it must be something we enjoy and feel benefit from.
‘There are things we can do in our everyday lives to mimic the classic “exercises” and still reap the benefits.
‘For example, the dreaded push-up can be done against a wall or sofa rest during movement breaks after time sat down.
‘Eventually, as your upper body gets stronger, you may be able to do them from the floor.
‘Start adding in some jumping jacks in between push-ups and you are also then tackling similar elements to a burpee.
‘To tackle elements of the plank, you can hold your push up variation for as long as you can whilst tensing your core.
‘Bear crawls around the house are a fantastic way to get in some cardiovascular and strength training at the same time.’