About Active Blaby
Active Blaby is an initiative to help get you active and moving more. It is where local partners are brought together to provide personalised support for you to move more to improve your health and wellbeing. There are many things that can act as a barrier to being active for different people, physical activity has been built out of our everyday lives by increased use of cars, better technology and people’s time being stretched much more. There are some fundamental challenges that some people face but here at Active Blaby, we aim support you to be more active in whichever way we can find. We’ve designed a process to help you identify your main barriers to being more active and we have used psychology theory to try and give you the most effective support based on your needs. For more information about how to use the website, read our blog using the link below.
So why should I be Active?
Physical activity and movement is incredibly important for good health and wellbeing, whereas it has commonly been associated with maintaining a healthy weight, being active in its own right has a wide range benefits from disease prevention to maintaining independence into later life.
There’s overwhelming evidence for the life-changing benefits of being active – from childhood through to old age. Every year, these benefits deliver billions of pounds of value to our healthcare systems, society and economy. It’s been said that
If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented
Here’s just a few reasons why being more active is so important for your health and wellbeing;
Prevents Disease
As we get older, being active reduces our risk of illness – from heart disease, stroke, colon and breast cancer to obesity and osteoporosis, among other conditions by between 20 and 35%. Ultimately, active people have a lower risk of death through these long term conditions by 30%. Every year, leading an active lifestyle prevents 900,000 cases of diabetes and 93,000 cases of dementia. Living with these conditions can have a significant impact on your quality of life so if you can delay the onset of these or even prevent it happening altogether by being active, it’s worth a try isn’t it? For more information about these conditions and the impact being active can have on you, please click on the button below.
Mental Health
Being active can have a significant positive impact on your mental health as well as your physical health. The evidence shows that people who get active have greater levels of happiness, life satisfaction and feeling worthwhile. They’re also less likely to feel anxious. In fact, an active person has nearly a 50% reduced risk of depression than an inactive person! For many of us, this is partly due to the social interaction involved in sport and activity, a feeling of shared experiences and achievements along with the support in group settings, or getting outdoors and into green spaces which have been shown to have beneficial effects on mental health.
Development
When we’re young, being active helps our bodies develop properly, with a strong heart, healthy bones, muscles and brain development. It is very important for the early skills of balance and co-ordination to be able to perform many physical actions. From a young age, being involved in sport and group activities give people essential life skills, from self-control to teamwork, conflict resolution to leadership. There’s a proven link between taking part in physical activity and improved job opportunities and this applies to people from all backgrounds, including young people not in education, employment or training.
Activities for Children and Young people
Maintaining Independence
As you get older, regular physical activity continues to bring benefits: it’s seen as critical to healthy ageing and being able to maintain your independence, by for example maintaining muscle and bone strength, reducing falls and reducing the pace of mental decline.
Movement, sport and physical activity have an incredible ability to reach into the places we live, reduce social isolation, and build a sense of pride and belonging. Local sports clubs and activity groups are community hubs where we can maintain and build relationships to support each other and keep connected to our local area.
Now go and explore the features of the website and find your inspiration to become more active!
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