Normally, a person doing light-to-moderate exercise will not run out of breath. However, a study commissioned by the British Lung Foundation found that the average adult is left breathless six times a week by simply doing light-to- moderate physical activity. In the study of 2,000 adults, researchers discovered that more than 25 percent of the participants exercise less than once a week, while one-third said they would not be able to run a mile even if their life relied on it. In addition, three out of 10 people reported that they run out of breath after walking up a flight of stairs, while four in 10 admitted that they need to pause for a while after running for a bus. Moreover, 16 percent of the participants said that even playing with a kid makes them breathless, while nearly one in 10 find it difficult to pick something up from the floor without gasping for air afterwards.
The researchers also discovered that it takes 38 seconds on average for them to recover from breathlessness, while one in 20 adults needs more than two minutes to breathe normally again.