The advice comes from a poll of 3,000 British adults, including 1,000 who have a long-term health condition.

Results show that 67 percent of those who do some form of physical activity claim it helps their mood.

A third of respondents feel their mood is lower if they don’t move or exercise as much as they usually would, with mental wellbeing the biggest factor for 18 percent, when choosing a physical activity.

Overall, 29 percent agree that some form of physical activity makes them feel “calmer” afterwards.

For those with a long-term health condition, 38 percent agree that some form of physical activity believe it helps their wellbeing.

Conversely, not moving as much as they would like causes 45 percent of those with health conditions to feel down, compared to 27 percent of those living without a condition.

The study also finds that 42 percent of adults without a health condition are active on more than five days a week, for around 43 minutes at a time. But for those with chronic ailments, this drops to 25 percent, for 35 minutes at a time.

Seven in 10 adults admit they feel guilty (69 percent) when they don’t move around as much as usual, with that number rising to 76 percent of those who have a long-term health condition.

Skipping exercise even makes people feel worse physically, with 18 percent say they battle stiffness and pain due to lack of movement.

Almost six in 10 individuals (58 percent) feel they are already doing as much physical activity as they can, with this increasing to 75 percent of those with a health condition. Some of the most popular activities, of all the people surveyed, include walking (53 percent), team sport activities (20 percent) and swimming (18 percent).

And of those with a health condition who like to be active solo, 28 percent say their condition makes them feel self-conscious. As a result, 52 percent of those polled who are active do their exercise at home, according to the research, carried out via OnePoll2

“It’s so great to see from the research that everyone, including those living with an illness or health condition, can get an uplifting boost from physical activity, no matter how big or small it is,” says Michelle Roberts, physical activity and health program lead from the Richmond Group of Charities behind We Are Undefeatable. “We want to encourage everyone to find the movements that match their mood and provide a source of inspiration for those that are unsure on where or how to start.”.