It is now recognised that inactive lifestyles underpin much of the disease burden evident in the richer nations of the world. Indeed, the WHO has identified physical inactivity as a ‘global public health problem’ and has established minimum physical ac- tivity (PA) targets for individuals at different stages of the life- course. Yet, according to the WHO Global Data Base (2013), just under 1/3 of working age adults across the globe meet those targets and it is not at all clear how the disjunction between the recom- mendations of policy makers and the behaviour of the majority of individuals might be surmounted. A key aim of this paper is to show how a policy rooted in the understandings of lay people about the nature and role of PA in everyday life might help to overcome the discontinuity.