Health and fitness

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Physical activity and positive movement can come in many different forms, but the benefits are endless! Movement and activity can be anything, it doesn't necessarily mean spending hours at the gym, it could be taking small steps, such as ditching the car and travelling actively or meeting up with friends for a walk. The benefits of you doing this, will not only make you feel better in yourself, but will improve your overall health and wellbeing.

People who are active have a lower risk of developing many long-term (chronic) conditions, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke, and some cancers. Given the overwhelming evidence, it seems obvious that we should all be physically active. It’s essential if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.

To stay healthy, adults should try to be active every day and aim to achieve at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week through a variety of activities. To achieve this you should aim for around 30 minutes of physical activity each day, though this can be split up into as many short bursts as you like.

For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking or cycling instead of using the car to get around. However, the more you do, the better, and taking part in activities such as gardening, sports, fitness and general day to day housework, will make you even healthier and feel better within yourself.

Home workouts

Places Leisure - Keep a watch on their Facebook page for Places Leisure who will be sharing workouts each week.
Everyone Active - Everyone Active offers live online classes for free on their Facebook page.
Les Mills – on demand or Fitness Blender - A fantastic, FREE option to help to keep you active and working out at home, offering over 100 workouts across 10 categories of classes.
Nike Training Club – nearly 200 free workouts across strength, endurance, yoga and mobility. Session range from 15 – 45 minutes and its FREE
POPSUGAR Fitness – more than 500 workouts from celebrity trainers and fitness experts covering disciplines including boxing, dance, Pilates and HIIT. It’s FREE
Joe Wicks – The Body Coach - Free workouts with hundreds available for all fitness levels. These fun workouts can be done at home with no equipment.
Our Parks – at home workouts to do at any time of the day that includes a beginners nine-week online programme of exercise classes. Each video class is hosted by three different coaches, all working at different energy levels, so its suitable for all abilities. Its FREE
This Girl Can - Have put together a useful list of exercises to try at home, from tabletop press ups to living room wall sits – and they’re great for women and men alike.
NHS home workouts – home workout videos which include a strengthening workout and a 10 minute cardio workout. Its FREE
Own Your Goals - 30 Days free membership with no payment details required, work out classes with Davina McCall including Yoga, Pilates and other workouts.
DanceEast - Free videos with classes including yoga, Pilates, ballet, ballet barre and contemporary, as well as warm up and cool down videos. There is something suitable for all ages and abilities.
Yoga with Adriene – FREE high quality practices on yoga and mindfulness to inspire people of all ages, shapes and sizes.
Rachel Lawrence Pilates – FREE Pilates session in a friendly style with a wide range of classes to inspire, inform and challenge

Home workouts with the kids

Get Kids Moving – a FREE selection of workouts that put the fun back into fitness and help engage kids. Children can train alongside their favourite superheroes from the comfort of their home.
Cosmic Kids Yoga – FREE yoga, mindfulness and relaxation designed especially for kids aged three and above.
Disney Workouts – a FREE change for parents and kids to get moving to the songs they love. Learn their moves or put your own spin on the routine.

Home workouts if you are older

10 Today – a set of fun of FREE 10 minute audio and video workouts, intended to easily fit into your day that helps get you stretching and moving at home.
Move it or Lose it – a FREE series of fitness videos for older people by exercise instructor Julie Robinson.
Yoga with Adriene – FREE high quality practices on yoga and mindfulness to inspire people of all ages, shapes and sizes.
Rachel Lawrence Pilates – FREE Pilates session in a friendly style with a wide range of classes to inspire, inform and challenge

The Chief Medical Officer’s own physical activity guidance highlights the benefits of maintaining muscle strength, balance and flexibility.

These specific exercises are great for all ages, but particularly if you’re over 65:

Active outside

Go Jauntly have created walking routes showcasing 12 key towns and villages in East Suffolk. Discover Suffolk’s hidden gems, connect with nature along the coast, in a local park to at a nature reserve and support local businesses and communities whilst you visit.

GetOutside is a resource founded by Ordance Survey, bringing together current advice from the government, local authorities and other outdoor organisations, to help you decide where to go and what to do.

Active 10 - This app, from the NHS, is a great way to help you monitor and gradually increase your brisk walking levels over time. If you are feeling anxious in these uncertain times you could also consider some of the walking meditations from Headspace. Active 10 is available to download via Apple's App Store and Google Play.
Nike Run Club - This free running app includes GPS run tracking, audio-guided runs and weekly challenges. Customised coaching plans help you achieve your goals.
Couch to 5k - A free NHS app that has a week by week description of the 9 week set of couch to 5k podcasts. Each week involves 3 runs.

Love to Ride

Cycling is a great way to maintain your mental and physical health. Check out the Ride Healthy website if you're new to riding or want to promote cycling in your area.

If you are a key worker and/or cannot work from home, cycling frees up space on public transport for those who can't ride, incorporates exercise into your day, is very low cost and good for the environment. We've got lots of support to help you ride, including the Urban Cycling Skills webinar (register to find out about future webinars) and the Ride Healthy site .

Leisure centres

More information on our facilities:

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