Northumberland residents encouraged to get more active

Nationally, around half of women and a third of men are damaging their health through a lack of physical activity. However, everyone can make positive changes to their health by becoming more active.

In a bid to become more active, adults are encouraged to aim for at least 10 to 30 minutes of brisk walking each day. This can consist of smaller bursts of activity spread throughout the day, for example, getting off the bus a stop early to walk further, taking the stairs instead of the lift or trying to walk to places rather than drive.

Just 10 minutes of brisk walking every day can get your heart pumping and can make you feel more energetic, as well as lowering your risk of serious illnesses like heart disease and type-2 diabetes.

To help people on their journey to become more active, One You have launched an App to download, Active10, which tracks users walking, recording the time spent walking and how fast. The app allows users to set activity targets and monitors progress, showing the time spent walking and the time spent walking briskly.

Director of public health at Northumberland County Council, Penny Spring, said: “Modern living can sometimes mean that we are not as active as we should be. Aiming to walk more, especially brisk walking can not only have positive impacts on your health but can also help you to clear your mind from day-to-day stresses.

Coun Susan Dungworth, cabinet member for adult care and public health, said: “Focusing on health and wellbeing is very important for everybody and taking advantage of the longer spring days is a great opportunity to begin adding more activity into your everyday lifestyle.

“There are numerous benefits to becoming more active and taking those steps to a more active lifestyle don’t have to be daunting, adding some extra walking into each day is a great place to start and then build upon.”

To download the Active10 app, visit the Google Play or Apple app store and search Active10.