Regular sex 'good for the heart'

Regular sex can be a life-saver, the British Heart Foundation (BHF) says.

Along with washing the car and walking the dog, the charity said a romp with your partner can provide the exercise you need to help prevent a heart attack.

The BHF launched a campaign aimed at encouraging people to exercise daily and warned that a sedentary lifestyle leads to a death every 15 minutes in the UK.

It said that just 30 minutes of exercise each day can cut the risks of heart disease and other illnesses.

The BHF launched three new posters showing how activity can be incorporated into daily life.

One poster shows a man washing a car with his dog while another is of a naked man embracing his partner.

It has been suggested that the last BHF campaign - urging people to dial 999 if they experience severe chest pain - was linked to a rise in the number of 999 calls.

The Ambulance Service Union said last month the campaign together with changes to out-of-hours GP services could explain the rise of 20% in some regions. But the BHF said the campaign had the full backing of ambulance services around the UK.

It said its new 30-a-Day campaign was designed around "light-hearted billboard adverts showing combinations of everyday ways to be active". It also released a survey showing almost a third of people blame a lack of time for their inactivity. However, three out of four would still opt to use their computer, watch TV or read if they had a spare 30 minutes in the day, it said.

Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care at the BHF, said: "It's an alarming thought that inactivity kills someone in the UK every 15 minutes. These deaths are avoidable and the solution is simple and achievable. We can all make excuses, but at the end of the day it's up to individuals to make the change, to get up and to get active."

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