Where to go to find information.....
The worldwide demand for information about exercise and keeping fit and healthy is huge, and people are now waking up to the fact that integrating physical activity and healthy eating into their daily routine is a necessity so as to help to avoid health problems and prolong life.
There are some scary statistics out there which show that we have a long way to go though, and it’s not just the UK that has this problem.
The World Health Organisation have revealed that physical inactivity is now identified as the fourth leading risk factor for global mortality. So not exercising enough shortens your life.
They say that inactivity levels are rising in many countries with major implications for the prevalence of NCDs (non-communicable diseases such as heart problems, strokes, cancer, diabetes etc) and the general health of the population worldwide.
And here in the UK, the British Heart Foundation revealed that in 2012 in England, 59% of men and 54% of women reported spending five hours or more per day sitting or standing at work, in other words not moving around at all.
And the NHS reported that in 2015/16, 26% of adults were classified as inactive (fewer than 30 minutes physical activity a week).
Other NHS statistics are just as stark, revealing that 58% of women and 68% of men were identified as overweight or obese in 2015. The overall rate of obesity increased from 15% in 1993 to 27% in 2015.
And children are also at risk, with over 1 in 5 children in reception, and over 1 in 3 children in year 6 being measured as obese or overweight.
The USA has the same problems, and President's Council on Fitness, Sports & Nutrition has recently reported that less than 5% of adults there participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day, and only one in three adults receive the recommended amount of physical activity each week.
They also predict that by 2030, half of all adults (115 million adults) in the United States will be obese.
So what can be done about this situation?
Changing people’s behaviour is always difficult, but not impossible.
There are solutions available to people to help their health and fitness efforts, and the internet is the best place to start looking – this is why we set up the Keep Fit Eat Fit website.
And while the internet is full of information about lots of subjects, fitness being one of them, we all need to be able to find accessible and trusted resources, including those that are local to us – in particular when we are looking for information about practical opportunities and outdoor activities we can all take part in.
For us lucky people living in Essex, there is a new campaign which was launched in January 2018 which acts as the countywide one stop shop for everything you need to know about local health initiatives and activities in Essex.
The Livewell Campaign
One of the Livewell Campaign website’s aims is to encourage Essex residents to be more active and to make healthier lifestyle choices for themselves and their families.
The website focuses on the issues that are prevalent in the county and create involvement from the 12 local authority areas, enabling them to tackle them more effectively.
At the launch of the website, Essex residents were encouraged to take part in a number of #21 challenges - a nod to the fact that it takes 21 days to break or create a new habit.
The first part of the campaign asked people to do #21 sit-ups in 21 days, and having started with that, people can then move on to any other activities which they can begin to incorporate into their day.
The website also provides useful information on where to find activities locally including those aimed at the older generation, tips on healthy eating, recipe suggestions, and general advice and guidance on subjects such as mental wellbeing and accessing medical services.
Here at Keep Fit Eat Fit, we support any initiative that gets people more active and healthy. The more you do, the better you will feel.
And if you live in Essex, you can take part in any of the events and campaigns – even if you don’t, you can read lots of useful information here which will help you along your fitness journey.
The Livewell website can be found here.
You can also follow the conversation on the Livewell Twitter feed @LivewellLocal, Instagram @LivewellLocal and Facebook account @Livewell Campaign.
And don't forget your free video download below with a free simple exercise routine to get you started, just click on the link and enjoy watching.
