Whether you are defined as leading an active or inactive lifestyle can depend on which country you are in and which guideline your GP picks off the shelf, say researchers at the University of Bath.

Whilst many countries have guidelines recommending the minimum amount of physical activity a person should take to stay healthy, much of this advice is conflicting, making it difficult for healthcare professionals to assess whether a person is getting enough exercise.

Scientists at the School for Health at the University of Bath, working with co-investigator Dr Alan Batterham from the University of Teesside, found that around nine out of every ten men they studied could be categorised as active or sedentary, depending on which guidelines were followed.

Dr Dylan Thompson, senior lecturer at Bath, explained: "Recommended levels of physical activity are supposed to give the public and health providers a guideline of the minimum amount of activity needed for good health, but these messages seem to vary a lot.

"For example, in the UK, the recommendation is that adults should do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day in periods of 10 minutes or more, five times a week.

"In the US, some guidelines recommend an overall volume of activity, recommending an average of 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity per day, but this includes any activity you might do - even if it lasts less than ten minutes…