Access to what’s easily available
Your assessment suggests you need to know what activities are easily available to you. Becoming more active can be done in many ways across all abilities, from smaller movements such as some extra exercises at home through to structured exercise classes and sports. One major that helps you become more active and maintain that activity is how easy that activity is to do, and that doesn’t necessarily mean the activity itself but a whole range of factors such as what day it’s on, what time of day, how much does it cost, is there parking at the venue, is it on a public transport route, is it local and the list goes on. The fewer reasons there are to not do it, the harder it should be to find an excuse not to it!
As mentioned, there are whole heap of challenges to be overcome if you’re not that active to change your behaviours to become more active, but the two most effective ways to create and maintain an active lifestyle do something you enjoy and make it as easy as possible to reduce the number of barriers that face you. There are many things to consider when thinking about becoming more active, type of activity, with whom, where and when, all of which will have an impact on whether you keep it up.
Factors that can effect creating an active lifestyle
What’s on near me
People always tend to look for structured activity when they want to get more active and more often than not, there’s plenty going on in your local area. Dependent on where you live, most community halls have some activities happening in them, from Yoga to Zumba and these are usually accessible within the community. To find out what’s available in your area or even slightly wider, please access our directory where community instructors and sports clubs have shared their details with us to share with you.
Low Cost Activities
Cost of structured activities may be a barrier so other low cost options may need to be considered. Becoming doesn’t have to be attending exercise classes, simply moving more throughout the day is a good start. Going on a brisk walk can bring just as many health benefits as a moderate exercise class! Walking, running, circuits, online exercises from YouTube are all types of activity that don’t require any extra cost For more information and inspiration, visit our low cost activities page.
Inclusive and Accessible Activities
Some activities that you can do are inclusive whereby access to that activity can be either adapted or at a venue that is more accessible than others. This may include disability/wheelchair access and accessible facilities, suitable car parking near the venue or the venue having required equipment. The activity itself could be a specific adapted session for people with disabilities or health conditions or could be done at different levels so that you can participate at a pace and intensity that you feel comfortable in. For more information on these types of activities, visit We Are Undefeatable and also visit our directory and search for inclusive activities.
Transport
Ideally, we would lie to do activities as close to home as possible. However, this isn’t always possible and getting to venues where activities take place is not always as straightforward as it sounds, especially when in village locations. If you don’t have a car you may need to use public transport so you’ll need to plan ahead. You can find more information on local bus routes by clicking the link to the Choose How You Move page here. There are also other forms of transport that may be useful to you, such as taxis, trains or friends/family giving you a lift. To find local activities, visit our directory and you can search for activities by distance using your postcode.
Use your Local Neighbourhood
Another option is to start doing some activity using your local parks and open spaces. You can go for walks, jogs, bike rides or play outdoor games or use outdoor gyms to get more active. These areas are accessible to the vast majority of us and are an excellent resource for us to use. We have created a map of some of the open spaces within the district and what facilities are there so that you can check them out for yourself.
If you do want to go and find some our district’s beautiful parks and opens spaces, there are some links to help you get active in these areas.
Walking
Walking is a simple, free and one of the easiest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier
Running
Running is an effective, free and one of the simplest ways to get more active, lose weight and become healthier.
Cycling
Cycling is a fantastic, fun and family-friendly way to exercise. Cycling is a great way to travel a large distance within a shorter space of time, and getting outdoors on...
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