Together Active welcomes today’s refreshed UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines, reinforcing an important message: every movement counts towards better health and wellbeing.
While the recommended activity levels remain the same at 150 minutes of physical activity each week, the updated guidance places greater emphasis on building strength and balance throughout life, reducing long periods of sitting and recognising that moving from doing nothing to doing something brings the greatest health benefits.
The guidance reflects what we’ve long believed; creating healthier communities starts by making movement easier, more accessible and part of everyday life.
Although activity levels across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent continue to improve, there is still more work to do. The latest Active Lives data from Sport England shows that more than half of children and young people across the area are still not meeting the recommended daily activity levels, while over a quarter of adults remain physically inactive.
Commenting on the refreshed guidance, Together Active CEO Carly Jones said:
“It’s encouraging to see the national guidance continuing to recognise that every movement counts. The updated guidance reflects something we’ve long believed; that helping people move more isn’t about asking them to do more, it’s about making it easier for movement to become part of everyday life. The increased emphasis on strength training and balance is also great to see, because these are the things that help people stay steady, confident and independent throughout their life, and they’re often the easiest to overlook.”
The refreshed guidance also reinforces that there is no single way to be active. Whether it’s walking to the local shops, cycling instead of driving, playing with children in the park, improving strength through simple exercises at home or joining a local activity group, every movement contributes towards better health and wellbeing.
We’re pleased to see the latest evidence continue to highlight the importance of building movement into everyday life and will continue working with partners across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent to create the conditions that help more people enjoy active, healthy and fulfilling lives.
Read the refreshed guidance
You can read the full UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines here: Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers’ report – GOV.UK
