Make a Change4Life

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Make a Change4Life

We know that physical activity can make you feel better by improving both physical and mental wellbeing.

However, modern lifestyles can often mean we spend less time moving around and more time sitting in front of the TV, games console or computer. In addition, the wide range of convenience and fast food available means many of us don’t eat as healthily as we could.

Latest figures (Welsh Health Survey 2008) show that one in three children in Wales were estimated to be overweight or obese, including 16% who are obese.

And, over half of adults in Wales are overweight or obese, including 21% who are obese.

Obesity can make you feel unfit and lead to serious conditions such as heart disease and diabetes (type 2).

Therefore it’s important we all take responsibility for our health and do as much as we can to prevent the preventable.

While the factors which contribute to obesity are complex, to maintain a healthy body weight, you need to balance what you eat with the amount of energy that you use through exercise.

What we really need to do is make healthy choices easier, such as eating more fresh fruit and vegetables.

Creating an Active Wales

Part of the Welsh Government’s response to this issue is the launch of the physical activity action plan – Creating an Active Wales.

The plan aims to develop a physical environment:

• that makes it easier for people to choose to be more physically active
• to support children and young people to live active lives and become active adults
• to encourage more adults to be more active, more often throughout life and
• to increase participation in sport.

The important thing to remember is that being more active can involve:

• walking or cycling to work or the shops,
• taking the stairs instead of the lift,
• or playing in the park with your children.

These are everyday activities - it doesn’t have to mean joining a gym.

Through talking to people about the plan, it became clear that you were keen to see a campaign to highlight the benefits of doing more exercise and choosing healthier food, and illustrate easy ways to make, and keep up, these changes.