A campaign is being launched to encourage men over 45 to exercise more regularly.
A study by Sport Ireland has found that only one in four men aged between 45 and 54 meet the World Health Organization's recommended 150 minutes of exercise per week.
On average, men of this age are physically active for 87 minutes a week - or 12 minutes a day - with 16% not participating in any sport or exercise.
Sport Ireland say this is also affected by socio-economic factors, with those with the highest education and income levels twice as likely to play sports than those from the poorest backgrounds.
The organisation says that as a result this group are likely to have worse physical and mental health and more likely to die younger.
Dublin City University Professor Niall Moyna is one of those involved in the 'Your Personal Best' campaign and said it is "never too late" for people to "reset" their lifestyle.
"Health related problems due to lack of physical activity continue to rise in Ireland and it's a major concern," he said.
"We know that people who come from lower socio-economic backgrounds are at much higher risk of developing these health problems and education and access to employment all play their part - people underestimate the importance of those determinants and how they impact on our health."
With the Level 5 Covid-19 restrictions in place there are impacts on exercise, but Sport Ireland's John Treacy said that people can still exercise within the restrictions.
"People can exercise and be physically active during Level 5 restrictions, and we would encourage everyone to continue to do so for their own well-being, but we also ask that people respect the guidelines and exercise within 5km of their home," he said.
"We want people to set realistic goals, not something that's unsustainable. Just 30 minutes a day - 15 minutes from your front door and 15 minutes back - five days a week," Dr Moyna added.
