This page contains the following information about our award winning Active Hastings programme:
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Active Hastings is the easy, fun way to get your everyday dose of physical activity.
It only takes 30 minutes a day for adults and 60 a day for children to get fitter, healthier and happier. You can even break it down into 10 minute slots!
Our exciting programme of mostly free activities makes it easier than ever before to get healthier and happier - so what are you waiting for?
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Any kind of physical activity, from walking to running, is a great stress buster. It will also help you keep your weight down and significantly lower your risk of developing major chronic diseases.
Even the lowest level of physical activity can lower the risk of coronary heart disease, stroke, some cancers and type two diabetes by up to 50%.
It can also cut the risk of premature death by about 20% to 30%, give you more energy, strengthen your bones and muscles, help you sleep better and, through programmes like ours, give you the chance to meet people and make new friends!
Please read this page to get a better sense of how exercise will make you healthier and happier.
A combination of a healthy diet and regular exercise is the best way to maintain a healthy body weight. Being overweight can increase your chances of developing many different conditions, such as high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and osteoarthritis.
Your heart is a muscle and like any muscle, the more you use it, the more efficient it becomes. Regular exercise will strengthen your heart and it will also help to prevent many of the contributory factors that can cause heart disease, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), high cholesterol levels and obesity.
Regular exercise stimulates cells that strengthen your bones, reducing your chances of getting osteoporosis. Osteoporosis is a condition that affects the bones, causing them to become thin and weak.
Research has shown the regular exercise reduces the chances of you developing colon cancer by 50%. There is also evidence that women who exercise regularly have a lower chance of developing breast cancer.
Exercise triggers the release of a brain chemical called serotonin, which boosts your mood, and reduces feelings of anxiety and depression.
There is a large body of evidence to suggest that regular, moderate exercise increases the efficiency and effectiveness of the immune system, helping to prevent infection. For example, one study found that people who walked for at least 30 minutes a day, took half as many days sick, as a result of colds, or sore throats, compared with those who did not exercise regularly.
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Our Annual Report highlights the work done by the Active Hastings teams throughout the year, documents activities undertaken and outlines future plans to extend the numbers of people benefitting from the scheme.
You may find it useful to read our Help before downloading information.
Please note that this document has a large file size and may take time to download. It was also produced for print and may not be accessible for all web users. Please contact us for further information.
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This page last updated: 21/07/2010