ActiveLife: The benefits of physical activity

Regular physical activity is an important part of living well. Whatever your age, there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life.

People who exercise regularly have a lower risk of developing many long-term (chronic) conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers.

Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, clinical depression, dementia and alzheimer's disease.

What counts?

To stay healthy, the UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guideline state that adults should try to be active every day and aim to do at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week, through a variety of activities.

For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking for health or cycling instead of using the car to get around. However, the more you do, the better, and taking part in activities such as sports and exercise will make you even healthier.

Our ActiveLife Referral Programme will support you to become more active in a safe a pleasant environments, where you will receive expert advice, and have the opportunity to socialise and meet new friends to support you on your physical activity journey with us.