New Year, New You?

Make your New Year’s Resolution an active one and plan to get in shape, loose a few pounds and feel fitter and healthier.

Set realistic goals and work out ways that will help you stick to your plans in the long term. Why not involve your friends and family and get them to join you or plan a reward for yourself when you achieve certain milestones?

There are plenty of classes and sessions going on at sports centres across Kirklees. Or take a dip in one of the swimming pools.

Or if you prefer the outdoors why not get walking ? There are plenty of  walks to try and lots of walking  groups to join. Why not try something new like Nordic walking or if you are a parent or grandparent give buggymovers a go.

Why not try cycling  ? Download one of the routes and get the whole family involved.

 Whatever you decide to do good luck and take care.

Active Week Moves to Chickenley

Free activities, health checks and a chance to find out what’s happening in your area will all be part of the next Active Week which will take place in Chickenley from Monday 13 to Friday 17 June.

For details of the programme please contact Kelly Brown on 01484 234092 or email kelly.brown@kirklees.gov.uk or download Active Week Chickenley

Savile Town, Ravensthorpe & Thornhill Lees Get Active

Health checks, short walks, chair-based activities and a chance to dance are just a few of the free activities on offer during Active Week in Savile Town, Ravensthorpe and Thornhill Lees from Monday 9 to Friday 13 May.

 Active Weeks, funded by Dewsbury Committee, are about encouraging people to become more active and gain the benefits of a healthy lifestyle. During the week people can find out about what activities are going on in their area, try out some of these activities and meet others who are already involved or wanting to join in.

Click here for a full Active Week MayTimetable or contact Kelly Brown, Kirklees Sports and Physical Activity Development Team on 01484 234092 or pick up  from library and information centres.

The mobile health unit will be at Savile Town Wharf , Leggers Inn,  on Tuesday from 10am to 3.30pm and at Ravensthorpe Community Centre on Thursday from 10am to 3.30pm. Community nurses will be on hand to give free health checks, advice and information. The mobile health unit is also the place to try out some free ballroom dance and chair-based activity sessions during the day.

 Other activities during the week include a women only gentle chair based exercise session at the Greenwood Library and Information Centre on Monday from 11-11.45am. There is a morning of activities including 10pin bowling, chair-based activities and more at Thornhill Lees Senior Citizen’s Centre on Lees Hall Road on Monday 9 May. There are also short health walks of less than an hour on Thursday 12 May from the Talleem Community Centre and Thornhill Lees Community Centre, both starting at 11am.

 There are canal boat rides from Savile Town Wharf on Monday and Tuesday from 11-12.30pm and healthy eating sessions at the Talleem Community Centre in Savile Town from 10-11am on Monday and 1-2pm at Pentlands Childrens’ Centre.

ENDS

Take part in the Change4Life Swapathon

An exciting new campaign, the Great Swapathon, has been launched.  The Great Swapathon is the next stage of the government’s Change4Life movement and will help people to make small changes to their lifestyle.  Families and individuals will be able to get tips, help and advice that is tailored to their needs.

 The Great Swapathon encourages us to think about the simple swaps that we can make to help us lead healthier lives.  Ideas include:

•  swap sugary drinks like fizzy drinks or squash for water or milk. This could be in packed lunches, on the way to school or work and during breaks
• swap fry-ups for grill-ups. Everyone enjoys a nice cooked breakfast, but you can easily make it healthier by poaching or scrambling the eggs and grilling the sausages or bacon rather than frying them
• swap the sweets jar for a bowl of fruit
• swap snacking on the run for three meals a day – it’s easier to make healthier choices and keep hunger pangs at bay
• swap big plates to smaller plates. Using smaller plates is a good way to keep portion sizes in check (and it’ll look like you’ve got more food!)
• swap four wheels for two feet whenever you can – maybe for the school run, journeys to work or trips to the shops
• swap sitting around indoors for racing around outside. Kids love it and they’ll probably sleep more soundly afterwards
• swap the lift for the stairs – it’s a great way to get your heart going
• swap vegging on the sofa for a swim in your local pool. Find a time that works for you and try to make it a weekly trip
• swap white bread for wholemeal for your sandwiches or toast. It’s tastier and full of fibre.

 As part of the campaign, Your Great Swapathon, is an online tool that has been created to give you handy tips, set your own goals and record achievements. The Your Great Swapathon tool is available for you to use on both the Change4Life website at https://swapathon.co.uk/ and on the Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/change4life .

 Dr Judith Hooper, Director of Public Health at NHS Kirklees and Kirklees Council, said: “The Change4Life campaign has positive ideas about our behaviours to becoming healthier and addressing our rising levels of obesity.  By making simple swaps and sticking to them long term, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift or switching from full-fat to skimmed milk, we all will begin to live a healthier lifestyle without making drastic changes. For more ideas go to http://swapathon.co.uk”.

 Change4life in Kirklees builds on existing programmes to create a greater awareness of ways to help encourage and motivate children and families to lead a healthier way of life. As the Change4life initiative develops at a national level, here in Kirklees organisations will support new activities for local people to move more, eat well and live longer which will have a huge benefit in helping people feel well and lower the risk of contracting a range of health problems.  For more ideas visit www.kirklees.gov.uk/sport or ring the Kirklees Sport and Physical Activity Development Team on 01484 234095.

 ‘Eat Well4Life’ involves NHS Kirklees working closely with the public, community and voluntary sector to carry out initiatives such as luncheon clubs offering healthy meals, fruit and vegetable co-operative schemes and community cooking tutors, visit http://eatwell4life.kirklees.nhs.uk/ for more information. 

 ENDS

New Year, New You?

Post- Christmas we all have good intentions to get in shape, loose a few pounds and feel fitter and healthier. This is great news but you need to be realistic about setting goals and work out ways that will help you stick to your plans in the long term. So why not involve your friends and family and get them to join you or plan a reward for yourself when you achieve certain milestones. Whatever you decide to do good luck and take care.

Would you like to become a walk leader?

   Are you interested in becoming a volunteer walk leader? Click here for more information

New Walk Starting in Almondbury

Walking your way to Health…… New Health Walk around Almondbury starting 11.00am Wednesday 7th July read on for more information

 New Health Walk Almondbury

Women Only Activity Sessions – Dewsbury

New women only sessions are taking place in the Dewsbury Area.

Click Here for more information and timetables

Change4life Adult Campaign – Swap it don’t stop it

Have you made a change4life? In Kirklees 5,651 people have registered with the Change4life website since its launch.

The next phase of the Change4life campaign launched in February of this year urges adults to ‘Swap it Don’t Stop it‘ – giving people tips on how to lose weight and feel healthy without giving up all the things they love.

Change4life in Kirklees builds on existing programmes to create a greater awareness of ways to help encourage and motivate children, families and now adults to lead a healthier way of life.

To help to spread the movement in Kirklees we have recruited Change4life Champions, these are people from all walks of life ranging from Doctors, Councillors, and Teachers to Social Workers, Youth Club Leaders and Teaching Assistants.