Isle folk urged - wiggle it, waggle it, twerk it, work it, don’t sit on it!

Almost half of UK office workers spend less than 30 minutes a day walking around at work. Take on the challenge to stand more and help raise money for life saving research.

Sedentary behaviour, that is, sitting or lying down with low energy expenditure, has been associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease, and obesity and weight gain. Participating in physical activity can reduce this risk.

There are lots of opportunities to improve your fitness. North Lincolnshire Council has a number of leisure centres that offer a wide range of activities to suit all levels of fitness and at affordable cost. Activities range from the gym, badminton, squash, swimming, fitness classes, and much more. There are also lots of activities you can take part in outdoors and many are free such as walking, cycling and running. More details visit www.northlincs.gov.uk/leisure.

The council’s Active Together programme is a great way to start. It features a whole host of activities designed and aimed specifically for those individuals wanting to take those first steps to becoming active. Take a look at the timetable at www.northlincs.gov.uk/activetogether or call the Active Together Coodinator on 01724 297280. And if there’s nothing on the programme that appeals to you, let us know so we can do something about it.

If you want to take up the office challenge of standing more and sitting less on ‘On Your Feet Britain’ day (Friday 24 April), you can also help raise money for life saving heart research, by donating by text. Just text FEET to 70123 to donate £3. More details visit www.bhf.org.uk.

Frances Cunning, director, Public Health at North Lincolnshire Council, said: “There are lots of reasons to be more active and people can see and feel the many benefits. We are all guilty of sitting at the office desk for long periods of time, but it is actually bad for you and could lead to greater risk of health problems. Every hour or so, getting up from your desk/seat and standing or walking around for a couple of minutes is beneficial. It is common sense really, the more active you are, the better you will feel, the more alert you will become, and you could lose weight too for those that need to. There are many ways you can keep active and the council runs lots of activities. So come on, get on your feet and keep active. While ‘On Your Feet Britain’ is a one-day event, you should really continue this approach and make it a regular part of your daily routine.”

North Lincolnshire Council has also signed up to the national ‘Walk to Work Week’ taking place 11 to 25 May. If you want to take up the challenge and walk more, visit www.walktoworkweek.org.uk.