Physical Activity and Health in Islington

Find out:

  • The considerable benefits of physical activity for physical and mental health and other benefits
  • The amount of physical activity the NHS recommends that we should do
  • Support for people with different health conditions
  • Physical activity in Islington including specific activities on offer to people with certain health conditions
  • Information for healthcare professionals

The leaflet to the right, Physical Activity in Islington, has information about physical activity: its benefits, the offer in Islington, and how to get started. 

Benefits

Being physically active is recommended by the NHS as a way to cut the risk of many health conditions. Overall, it cuts the risk of an early death by 30%.

Physical health

The Chief Medical Officers of the UK state that being active improves your physical health because it cuts the risk of:

The NHS states that being active also cuts the risk of:

Being active can help in the treatment of many conditions:

  • some cancers
  • obesity
  • type 2 diabetes
  • coronary heart disease and stroke
  • high blood pressure
  • osteoarthritis and lower back pain
  • dementia
  • chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
  • asthma
  • musculoskeletal conditions

Physical activity can benefit people with a disability and women during and just after a pregnancy. For young people, being active helps bodies to develop properly, with a strong heart, healthy bones, muscles and brain development.

Mental health

Being active improves your mental health because it:

  • cuts the risk of depression
  • helps to manage stress
  • can improve the quality of sleep
  • helps to develop social skills
  • provides opportunities to be sociable and meet new people
  • improves confidence and a sense of self-worth

Being active can help in the treatment of many mental health conditions including depression and anxiety.

Other benefits

Being physically active:

  • May help to stop smoking
  • Means young people are more likely to do better in education, and earn more as an adult
  • Can increase productivity in the workplace
  • Can bring people together, which can create friendships, reduce loneliness, and strengthen communities

Recommended levels of physical activity

The NHS recommends we are active to stay healthy. The recommended level of activity varies by age.

People aged 19-64:

  • Be active every day
  • And do at least 150 minutes/week of moderate activity or 75 minutes/week of vigorous activity or shorter periods of very vigorous activity, or a mix of all three
  • And do muscle-strengthening exercises on two or more days a week
  • And cut the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

People aged 65+:

  • Be active every day, even if it is just light activity
  • And do at least 150 minutes/week of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity/week, or a mix of both
  • And do muscle-strengthening exercises on two or more days a week
  • And cut the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity

People aged 5-18:

  • Be active every day for an average of at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity
  • And take part in a variety of types and intensities of physical activity across the week
  • And cut the time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity, and spread activity throughout the day

Under 5s:

  • Babies (under one year) should be encouraged to be active throughout the day, every day, in a variety of ways, including crawling
  • One- to two-year-olds should be physically active every day for at least 180 minutes
  • Three- to four-year-olds should spend at least 180 minutes a day doing a variety of physical activities spread throughout the day, including active and outdoor play. This should include at least 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity
  • All children under five should not be inactive for long periods, except when they are asleep

Moderate activity should make you breathe faster and feel warmer, and just about still able to talk. It will raise your heart rate, and make you breathe faster and feel warmer. You can still talk but cannot sing. If you start sweating, then that is good; it is what you are aiming for. Vigorous activity should make you breathe hard and have difficulty talking.

Muscle-strengthening exercises should include the arms, shoulders, chest, abdomen, back, hips and legs. A repetition is a complete movement of an activity. Try to do eight to twelve repetitions or more, until you struggle to complete another one. Do not overdo it.

Examples of moderate activity:

  • Brisk walking
  • Water aerobics
  • Riding a bike
  • Dancing
  • Doubles tennis
  • Pushing a lawn mower

Examples of vigorous activity:

  • Jogging or running
  • Swimming fast
  • Riding a bike fast or on hills
  • Walking up the stairs
  • Sports such as football, rugby and netball
  • Skipping rope
  • Aerobics
  • Gymnastics
  • Martial arts

Examples of muscle-strengthening exercises:

  • Carrying heavy shopping bags
  • Yoga
  • Pilates
  • Tai chi
  • Lifting weights
  • Working with resistance bands
  • Push-ups and sit-ups
  • Heavy gardening
  • Wheeling a wheelchair
  • Lifting and carrying children

Examples of very vigorous activity, for adults aged 19-64:

  • Lifting heavy weights
  • Circuit training
  • Sprinting up hills
  • Interval training
  • Spinning classes

Examples of light activity, for adults aged 65+:

  • Getting up to make a hot drink
  • Moving around your home
  • Walking at a slow pace
  • Vacuuming
  • Making the bed
  • Standing up

Any activity is better than none. There are many ways to be active. Playing sport is just one of them. There are many others, such as walking, doing a fitness class, and play for young people.

Support for people with different health conditions

There is a wide range of physical activity support for people with different health conditions.

General:

  • We Are Undefeatable gives physical activity support for people with a long-term condition.
  • EXi provides personalised physical activity prescriptions for 23 health conditions.
  • Health Unlocked is a social network for health including being active.

For people with a specific condition:

Physical activity in Islington

There are over 60 types of physical activity on offer in Islington at more than 100 clubs, leisure centres, libraries, parks, community centres and other venues. There is something for everyone, whatever your physical ability, age, or whether you have a disability. Many of these activities are free or low-cost.

Sport and physical activity has full information about physical activity in Islington including a map showing the activity on offer across the borough.

Some activities are for people with specific health conditions.

MoreLife offers a free 12-week weight management programme to adults in Islington who are either obese or overweight and have a certain health condition. The programme aims to create long-lasting shifts in behaviour and give the tools and support needed to achieve health goals. You can either refer yourself to the programme or be referred by a healthcare professional.

Arsenal in the Community offers for free:

  • A weight management programme for men aged 18-65 with ill-health linked to obesity. This is at the Arsenal Hub, N7 7BA, and Queens Crescent Community Association, NW5 4QE. For more information, see the leaflet to the right, Shape Up
  • Walking football for men who have diagnosed with prostrate cancer. This is at the Arsenal Hub, N7 7BA. For more information, see the leaflet to the right, Stride On
  • A strength and balance exercise class for people aged 55+ who have a need to increase strength, mobility and independence. This is at the Arsenal Hub, N7 7BA, and Mildmay Community Centre, N16 8NA
  • Family Fitness (as part of family kitchen), Vibast Community Centre, 167 Old Street, EC1V 9NH

For more information, contact Rhys Ratcliffe, Health and Wellbeing Co-ordinator; rratcliffe@arsenal.co.uk

The Claremont Project, 24-27 White Lion Street, N1 9PD, offers a strength and balance class for fall and osteoporosis prevention.

Healthy Generations offers free or low-cost activities to help improve health and well-being. This includes a specific, free session for people with remedial osteoporosis.

Wu Shi Taiji Quan & Qi Gong Association, 20 Blackstock Road, N4 2DW, offers free qi gong and tai chi for people with a debilitating health condition. More information is also in the leaflets to the right, Sit, Stand, Walk, Talk - Tai Chi for Wellbeing flyer and release

See also:

Information for healthcare professionals

MoreLife offers a free 12-week weight management programme to adults in Islington who are either obese or overweight and have a certain health condition. The programme aims to create long-lasting shifts in behaviour and give the tools and support needed to achieve health goals. A person can be referred by a healthcare professional or refer themself to the programme. 

GLL (also known as Better), who run Islington leisure centres, offer a six-week programme called Give It A Go:

  • Access to gyms, swimming pools, and fitness classes
  • Offer of induction and physical activity action plan with a fitness instructor
  • Only for people who are referred by their GP, a social prescribing link worker, or as part of a community group
  • The cost is £30 (peak) or £25 (off-peak)

Sources about the benefits of physical activity for health:

Moving Medicine is a resource to help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity conversations into routine clinical care.

The National Academy for Social Prescribing has information about social prescribing and physical activity.

If you have a question about the content on this page, contact John Thorne: john.thorne@islington.gov.uk; 020 7527 7096.

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  1. Shape Up
  2. Physical Activity in Islington
  3. Sit, Stand, Walk, Talk - Tai Chi for Wellbeing flyer
  4. Sit, Stand, Walk, Talk - Tai Chi for Wellbeing release
  5. Stride On