Almost half of women in the UK have done no vigorous exercise in the past 12 months with most saying they lacked motivation, a survey has suggested.

The percentages are lower for men, with just over a third saying they had not exercised in that period and half citing a lack of motivation, according to data from the healthcare charity Nuffield Health.

In the online survey of 8,000 adults across the country in February, 38% of women said they had got out of the habit of exercising during lockdown.

Eleven per cent said they got into good exercise habits but struggled to maintain them, and 14% gave up exercising completely, the organisation’s Healthier Nation Index showed.

Thirty-seven per cent reported their physical health got worse in the previous 12 months and 47% said they had failed to do any vigorous exercise.

When it came to men, 28% said their physical health had declined in the same period and 34% admitted not doing any vigorous activity in that time.

Sixty-seven per cent of women cited a lack of motivation compared with 51% for men, and 35% of women said they felt they did not know where to start when it came to exercise, compared with 28% of men.

Fifty-five per cent said a lack of time owing to work was a barrier, compared with 46% of men.

The NHS defines vigorous exercise as activities such as running, swimming, an aerobics class or gymnastics.