The armchair socialist is a myth and political extremists exercise more than those in the centre

ARE right-wingers really fitter than left-wingers? Do moderates have better health habits than extremists? A new study reveals all about politics and our bodies.

Prime Minister Tony Abbott going for a morning run with QLD Premier Campbell Newman in Canberra .

THE armchair socialist is a myth and in fact the more extreme a person’s political views the more likely they are to be physically active.

That is the conclusion of a whimsical research project by Sydney University public health researcher Professor Adrian Bauman for the British Medical Journal’s Christmas edition.

“It is those sitting in the middle (politically) that are moving less, and possibly sitting more, both on the fence and elsewhere, making them a defined at-risk group,” the research funds.

The conclusions come from an analysis of the Eurobarometer cross-national survey of nearly 30,000 Europeans adults who reported both their physical activity levels and political affiliation.

The study found right wingers in the survey did 62.2 more minutes of exercise each week than those in the political centre and left wingers 57.8 minutes more.

When it came to time in a chair the study found right wingers sat for 12.8 fewer minutes per day and people on the left sat for 3.98 fewer minutes than those in the political centre.

“The increased time spent walking and doing vigorous physical activities suggests that they might be out agitating in the field, mobilising the community, and actively distributing ideas and propaganda,” the authors say.

The researchers muse that the study might explain why politics is more extreme in the US where politicians “run” for office rather than “standing for office” as in the United Kingdom.

“The findings refute the existence of an “armchair socialist”; people at the extremes of both ends of the political spectrum were more physically active,” the study says.

Former Prime Minister John Howard was famous for his vigorous walk every morning, current Prime Minister Tony Abbott is a serious cyclist and has competed in triathlons and Foreign Minister Julie Bishop fits an early morning run into her hectic overseas travel schedule.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten runs for between 45 minutes and an hour most days.

Former Prime Minister Bob Hawke was a keen tennis and cricket player, while Paul Keating jumped on a trampoline.

The term “armchair socialist” emerged in the 19th century to refer to people who made left wing pronouncements rather than actually helping the political cause.

In the United States today they are referred to as “limousine liberals” and in Australia as “chardonnay socialists”.

The study reports that it was unable to determine whether the alleged alcohol habits of extreme left wingers counteracted the benefits of the extra exercise they did.

“Limited information on alcohol in the Eurobarometer survey prevented us from assessing potential harms of excesses of chardonnay or champagne among socialists (or reactionaries) and we could not assess preferences for limousine travel rather than more active modes of transportation,” the authors say.