By Huw Edwards, CEO of ukactive
National Fitness Day, taking place tomorrow, Wednesday 24 September, is the country’s biggest celebration of how physical activity helps our physical, mental and social wellbeing. Across the day thousands of events taking place in schools, workplaces, community centres, sports clubs, gyms, pools and leisure centres will encourage millions of people to enjoy movement, irrespective of their age, ability or background.
While it is just one day, the most powerful outcome is that it inspires change.
Throughout the year, the ukactive team and I will visit members across the four nations of the United Kingdom where we will hear powerful testimonies from people who have made the choice to improve their health, supported by local community facilities they trust. The driving motivation will be personal and unique, but they will find people in their local gym, pool and leisure facility on the same journey, wanting to make the improvements to their health that support their quality of life.
National Fitness Day provides an opportunity to celebrate all the brilliant work these facilities and their partners undertake every day. This campaign also provides an opportunity to showcase the strength and diversity of a sector that is making improvements in public health that match many other services.
Take for example ukactive’s recent report, Mental Health in Motion, launched earlier this week, which is a study on the role of physical activity in supporting mental health. The report, taken from ukactive’s quarterly consumer polling, identifies the value that those with mental health conditions place on being active and helping them to avoid sickness and time off from work. Our data found that 85% of those living with mental health conditions say that the main reason for joining their gym, fitness or leisure facility was to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Furthermore, nearly three quarters (72%) of adults surveyed with a mental health condition say being physically active has helped them to stay well and be less likely to take time off work. However, just 16% of people with a mental health condition surveyed feel able to meet the recommended levels of physical activity (150 minutes a week).
We want this report to be a catalyst for change and for more urgent work between the Government and our industry on the issue of economic inactivity and long-term sickness, especially around mental health – a known priority for the Government. Gyms, pools and leisure centres remain the main drivers of physical activity across the nation, with a record 11.5 million people now members of a health and fitness club, so they can crucially help the Government on this issue. The big opportunity here is for greater partnership between these facilities and the Government so the sector can help more people stay in work or return back to work. In fact, more than three in five people surveyed in our report (61%) say they would join a gym if it was offered as a benefit or at a discounted rate through their employer.
National Fitness Day is an opportunity to champion the breadth and diversity of our magnificent sector, celebrating our customers and workforce alike. It also has the power to drive positive change and that change can be both personal as well as political.
We encourage everyone to enjoy the day and help celebrate the huge value our sector provides to the communities it serves, both now and in the future.
To find out more about National Fitness Day and to get involved, visit the National Fitness Day website here.
