How healthy are you REALLY? Ruthless NHS quiz ranks your lifestyle on a scale of 1 to 10
MANY people consider themselves relatively healthy.
You eat pretty well - minus the odd McDonald's - and you do at least some form of exercise. But how healthy are you really?
You might be shocked to find out you're not as fit as you thought.
A brutally honest quiz scores your lifestyle on a scale of one to 10.
A score of one means you need to take some serious action, and 10 indicates you're in impeccable shape.
The ruthless free NHS , which takes about 10 minutes to complete, aims to give those of us struggling with our health a reality check.
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It begins by asking how you're feeling right now, which you can answer by using the interactive sliding scales.
Some of the options let you choose between things like "totally wound up" and "feeling calm", to "really knackered" and "full of beans".
Other scales measure how well you're sleeping, how fit you currently are and your stress levels.
To get a realistic response, it's important to be honest.
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The quiz gets straight to the point about three minutes in, asking "What's stopping you from taking care of yourself?".
Options for this question include a lack of money, time, disability and others.
You then select your top three health priorities: ranging from fitting into your jeans, staying sharp and remaining independent.
At this point, advice is given based on your general well-being.
In the diet section, the quiz asks what you would choose when it comes to drinks, potatoes, breakfast cereals, cheese and meat.
The last part of this portion focuses on snacking and asks you to select the type of foods you eat throughout the day.
Then, voila - your results are revealed in detail.
After submission, you're given a list of your rankings in each category: moving, eating and drinking.
The results page reads: "Around 40 per cent of deaths in England are directly related to behaviour.
"You've told us a bit about your lifestyle - what you eat and drink, whether you smoke and how much exercise you take.
"These are all things that have a big impact on your health, and they're also the reason you scored X out of 10.
"You can see below whether you're Red, Amber or Green in each - and what you should do to improve."
'Brutal results'
The harsh questionnaire then gives recommendations and links to websites which can help improve your wellbeing.
This includes exercise tips, cutting out alcohol and healthy recipes.
Some people online have found the quiz a little jarring.
One person said on X, formerly Twitter: "For those of you feeling great after ‘dry January’ or a month of diet success, or those who made no changes like me, I give you The NHS ‘How Are You?’ Quiz.
"I’m not the skinniest Minnie but the responses to my answers were amusing."
Another user posted her "rock bottom" results, clearly disappointed with her outcome.
She said: "Took the NHS How Are You Quiz out of curiosity and... sad."
A third wrote: "It brutally informs you about how unfit you might be."
And a fourth posted: "The quiz is utter b*******. Apparently, I don't move enough.
"I do 12,000 steps a day, five hours of weights a week and two hours dedicated cardio a week."
The quiz adds an important disclaimer reminding participants: "This is just an indication of how you’re doing against guidelines for certain behaviours based on your answers.
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"It’s not a medical diagnosis.
"To discuss it properly or if you’re worried about your health you should speak to a health professional like a Pharmacist, Practice Nurse or GP."
How much exercise should you do and when?
There are guidelines issued by the NHS and the Government regarding how much exercise people should do each day.
People should be active daily, and avoid sitting for long periods.
The NHS recommends an adults – those aged 19 to 64 – should aim for 150 minutes of “moderate intensity activity” a week.
This works out to 21 minutes a day, or 30 minutes five days a week.
Or, they could do 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week, which could be less than 11 minutes per day or 25 minutes three days a week.
Adults should also aim to do strength exercises twice a week, at least.
Examples of moderate-intensity activities include brisk walking, water aerobics, riding a bike, dancing, doubles tennis, pushing a lawn mower, hiking or rollerblading.
Examples of vigorous activities include running, swimming, riding a bike fast or on hills, walking up the stairs, sports, like football, rugby, netball and hockey, skipping, aerobics, gymnastics or martial arts.
Things like lifting heavy weights, sprinting up hills, spin classes or circuit training are considered very vigorous.
What time should you exercise?
Getting exercise into your day, no matter what time is a good idea.
But you may want to be more selective depending on your goal.
A 2023 US study on 5,285 middle-aged adults showed exercising between 7 and 9 am was the best time if you're looking to lose weight.
Researchers found that early-bird gym goers had a lower body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference than those working out later.
A 2022 study led by Prof Paul J Arciero, Skidmore College, New York, found that the optimal time of day to get your kit on might differ according to your gender.
Prof Arciero said women wanting to lose fat around their belly and hips would do better to hit the gym in the morning, but those seeking to gain upper body strength or simply improve their mood might see more results from evening exercise.
The results were the opposite for men.
If you struggle to get to sleep, it's been found that exercise in the morning may help, but exercise in the evening may help you to stay asleep.
Exercise, generally, can improve sleep quality.