Activity and Health

Activity and Health

Physical Activity and Health

Physical activity is one of the best tools for keeping your body healthy. Being physically active helps to keep you fit and fight off many diseases and health complications. It also has a very important role to play in mental health.

By getting the recommended amount of physical activity, it can improve not only your health, but also boost your mental wellbeing. This could then help improve your overall quality of life.

In the UK, 1 in 4 people (15 million) have at least one long term health condition.

On this page:
Getting active with a health condition
Exercise Referral
Long-term condition health survey

What’s more, those living with long term health conditions are twice as likely to be inactive, even though there is lots of evidence that increased activity can actually help in the management of many long term health conditions.

After being diagnosed with a health condition, you might be concerned about your abilities. However, there are exercises and activities that can be modified so anyone can take part.

These pages will teach you about the benefits of physical activity. You’ll also learn how getting moving can reduce the risk, help you manage and even improve certain long-term health conditions.

Man With Long Term Condition Playing Hockey

For those with a health condition

We’ve listed the basics of each health condition and how physical activity can help you prevent, manage and even treat them. There are also some exercises to get you started, and any relevant case studies to provide some inspiration and motivation.

For healthcare professionals

At the bottom of each page, you’ll find resources, signposting opportunities and support in having conversations about the benefits of physical activity and its use in managing certain conditions. There are also e-learning pages available to assist with directive conversation support.

What are you looking for?

Cancer

Dementia

Diabetes

Falls Prevention

Healthy Heart

Healthy Joints

Healthy Lungs

Healthy Pregnancy

Healthy Weight

Mental Health

Recovering From Illness

Exercise Referral Schemes

Exercise Referral is a programme of exercise that is prescribed by your doctor, nurse, physiotherapist or pharmacist. It can help you manage your health by using exercise. The programme helps you take some simple steps to become more active safely around your medical condition. Details of where the schemes based are in Norfolk can be found below.

For further information about each scheme please contact the scheme directly.

Broadly Active

Sessions in: Broadland, North Norfolk, Norwich and South Norfolk

Website: Broadly Active Website

Phone: 01603 430487

Sportspark

Sessions in: University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, NR4 7TJ

Website: Sportspark website

Phone: 01603 592398

West Norfolk

Sessions in: Alive West Norfolk Centres in Downham Market, King’s Lynn and Hunstanton

Website: Alive West Norfolk Website

Phone: 01553 818001

Dereham

Sessions in: Dereham Leisure Centre, Station Road, Dereham NR19 1DF

Website: Dereham Leisure Centre website

Phone: 01362 693419

Are you living with a health concern or long-term condition?

Active Norfolk wants to support everyone to be able to benefit from a healthy and active lifestyle.

Does your health condition stop you from being active? Would anything help you to be more active?

As part of our work to understand how physical activity can be used to improve health, we are conducting a survey. This will investigate how mental and physical health concerns and long-term conditions impact physical activity levels in adults. It will also explore what we can do to help.

Working closely with partners across the health and social care sectors, we have created a short 10-15 minute survey. This looks at health conditions and also activity levels.

By taking part in the long-term condition health survey, you will also help us ensure that the voice of people living with long-term health conditions is heard when designing future care and support services. That therefore means your contribution can have a positive impact on others in Norfolk living with health concerns.

If you need any information about the survey, be sure to get in touch, and we’ll be happy to help.

Click here to take the survey

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Activity and Health

Activity and Health