Physical activity

Did you know physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and costs the UK an estimated £7.4 billion each year?

Educate patients and staff about the benefits of physical activity

Take part in Wellbeing Wednesdays to stay active

Introduce walking and cycling into daily life routines

Physical inactivity is associated with 1 in 6 deaths in the UK and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion each year. Around 1 in 3 men and 1 in 2 women are not active enough for good health.

Physical activity is known to have significant benefits on health and wellbeing, reducing the risk of conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, dementia, depression and cancer, while reducing all-cause mortality by 30%. If there was a pill that was as effective, we would recommend it to all our patients!

We should routinely promote the benefits of physical activity to by taking the following action:

Educate patients and staff about the benefits of physical activity and advocate moving more. This can include information relevant to specific health conditions (see information resources).
Consider signing up to be an Active Practice to support both staff and patient wellbeing.

Across primary care, the ICB’s Workforce team also introduced Wellbeing Wednesdays, offering online sessions for staff stay active. The weekly blogs, podcasts and advice on staying active is a great resource for all staff to stay physically fit.

Click here for primary care resources

Physical activity guidelines for UK adults: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1054541/physical-activity-for-adults-and-older-adults.pdf

Physical activity guidelines for children: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1054282/physical-activity-for-children-and-young-people-5-to-18-years.pdf

Information on how to discuss physical activity in consultations for a range of health conditions, including patient information leaflets: https://movingmedicine.ac.uk/

Active Practice Charter: https://www.active-together.org/activepractices

A resource to help health professionals prevent ill health and promote wellbeing as part of their everyday practice: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health/physical-activity-applying-all-our-health