National Fitness Day: Physical Activity in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent

We all know the immediate benefits of physical activity. Weight management, better health and increased energy levels are obvious examples. But moving more does even more. Not just for you, but for us all.

Our mission at Together Active is to get everyone more active more often. And with good reason. In Staffordshire & Stoke-on-Trent the proportion of adults classed as physically active in the 2018/19 Active Lives survey, meaning completing 150 minutes of activity per week, was 58.5%. This is 4.4% lower than the national average.

Additionally, 28.1% of adults in Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are classed as inactive, meaning they don’t do more than 30 minutes of activity per week.

Nearly a quarter of Stoke-on-Trent and a fifth of Staffordshire’s children are obese. We are storing up long term health problems for the future.

This puts huge strain on our healthcare system. The estimated cost of inactivity to our local authorities is £21,917,322 per 100,000 residents per year.

In 2018/19, the NHS allocated £12.2 billion in to support mental health in the UK. The difficulties experienced by many because of COVID-19 mean the demand on services will continue to rise.  However, the importance of being active and its link to positive mental health is becoming ever more clear. Physical activity released mood-boosting hormones which help improve your mood, sleep quality and concentration. Studies have even shown that physical activity following operations can prevent mental health decline which can increase the length of time it takes to recover.

Moving more isn’t just good for your body; it’s good for your mind.

As an Active Partnership, we work with groups across the county to encourage participation in sport and physical activity at every level. We believe that there should be no barriers to a person wanting to be more active. The benefits both for individuals, from feeling happier to living longer, healthier lives, and to society through cost savings in the health system and increased investment in the economy are huge. That’s why we support National Fitness Day.

Created to help raise awareness across the UK of the importance of physical activity and how it can help us to lead healthier and more active lifestyles, it celebrates that being physically active means something different to everyone. It’s all about finding something to suit you. They have a page here which has some great suggestions on how you can get involved.

You can also share what fitness means to you with the hashtag #Fitness2Me or share activities and ideas with #FitnessDay.