Are you ready for the Great British Week of Sport?

The Great British Week of Sport runs between 19th and 27th September – and, bang in the middle on the 23rd, is National Fitness Day.

So get your trainers on and get set!

Great British Week of Sport promotes and celebrates physical activity and sport and the power it has to bring us all together, regardless of age, background or fitness level.

Sport and activity have so many benefits for our mental, physical and social wellbeing. During the week, each day is aligned to a specific theme, to ensure a wide reach of the #BeActive message and the opportunity for a greater variety of people to take part.

What can you do?

As an organisation, you can offer an event or activity as part of the week; it doesn’t need to be new, it can be whatever you want it to be – from opening up a regular class to a free trial for new members, opening up an app for free, a virtual workout, all the way through to going for a world record. Find out more: https://gbwos.com/get-involved/

National Fitness Day celebrates the role physical activity plays across the UK and people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities come together to celebrate the fun of fitness. The day reminds us why it’s good to move, highlighting the role that physical activity plays in helping us lead healthier, happier lives both physically and mentally.

On National Fitness Day you can run or host event or get active and join in! https://www.nationalfitnessday.com/activity-finder/

Why physical activity?

It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:

Up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
Up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
Up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
Up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
A 30% lower risk of early death
Up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
Up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
A 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
Up to a 30% lower risk of depression
Up to a 30% lower risk of dementia.

So generally, how much physical activity should I do?

Physical activity guidelines for adults aged 19 to 64: adults should do some type of physical activity every day. Any type of activity is good for you. The more you do the better. Adults should:

Aim to be physically active every day. Any activity is better than none, and more is better still.
Do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least two days a week.
Do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week.
Reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity.

You can also achieve your weekly activity target with:

Several short sessions of very vigorous intensity activity
A mix of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity.

You can do your weekly target of physical activity on a single day or over two or more days - whatever suits you.

Before starting on a physical activity regime, speak to your GP to make sure it's OK.