NEW-BORN fitness fanatic Gareth Evans is urging people to walk their way to better health, after figures showed lack of exercise kills twice as many people as obesity.

The Cambridge University study of 334,000 people concluded that the risk of early death could be reduced by between 16 and 30 per cent by doing some moderate exercise daily, such as a brisk 20-minute walk.

The study also showed that of the 9.2 million deaths a year in Europe, 676,000 could be attributed to inactivity, twice the 337,000 related to obesity.

Gareth, who joined Slimming World’s Old Town group seven months ago, weighing 21 stone and 7lbs, said getting physically active helped him to lose six stone and seven pounds and reduce his risk of diabetes.

He said: “I joined Slimming World for a number of reasons. One reason was that I was unhappy about being overweight.

“Also, through coverage in the media and the fact that some of my relatives had type-two diabetes I was more at risk of getting diabetes and I realised what my life might be like in the future if I did not lose weight.

“So I decided that it was time to do something about it, and as my mum was a member of Slimming World decided to join a group.

“At first I was really scared to join a group and to go to my first weigh-in, so it was with some trepidation that I went through the doors to the group for the first time.

“Straight away my fears were allayed. Everyone made me feel welcome and right at home.”

Now, Gareth is one of the group’s most active members and has been crowned a gold body magic member, which means he carries out 10 15-minute sessions or five 30-minute sessions of physical activity each week.

He said: “At first it was hard to make the lifestyle changes and I made a few mistakes in the beginning.

“But after losing over one and a half stone in my first month and getting Slimmer of the Month it made me really happy and made me more positive about myself for the first time in years.

“Over the last six months, being on plan with Slimming World has improved my health and lifestyle for the better.

“I have lost over six and a half stone in weight, which I thought I would never achieve in a short amount of time.”

Health experts recommend people do 150 minutes of moderate activity – including gardening, dancing or brisk walking – or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise such as running each week. But a recent survey found fewer than a third of people walk for 30 minutes over seven days.

Ulf Ekelund, who led the study, said: “This is a simple message: just a small amount of physical activity each day could have substantial health benefits for people who are physically inactive.”