Mayoral lead for wellbeing, Cllr Tim Beaumont, writes about a new 10 minute motivations campaign being run as part of the Fit for Me programme
So we’re more than a week into January 2018 and how are your New Year’s Resolutions going? Has the call of the sofa or the biscuit barrel proved to be stronger than the good intentions at the start of the year? Or maybe years of not making the life change you were hoping for has dented your motivation?
Don’t give up hope – it’s never too late to make a simple change that can have a massive impact on your life. Liverpool Council’s Fit For Me campaign has helped thousands of people across the city to take positive steps to improve their lifestyle. At the heart of the campaign is the simple message that a healthy lifestyle is for literally everyone no matter what your background is and where you’re starting from.
This year in January and February we’ve launched the Fit For Me 10 Minute Motivations Campaign. The campaign is about encouraging everyone to take part in short bursts of physical activity of 10 minutes. Life is very hectic and sometimes all we have is 10 minutes to spare – but even that can have a big impact. Perhaps you could go up and down the stairs a few times or have a dance in the kitchen to the radio. Whatever it is, just adding 10 minutes of activity to your daily routine can start you off in the right direction.
Once you’ve started with 10 minutes here or there maybe you could think about taking part in one of the hundreds of activities going on across Liverpool to encourage people to be more active. I got a chance to see what’s on offer this weekend at the Sefton Park Palmhouse Family Fitness Day. Even though it was amazingly cold, people who visited one of Liverpool’s architectural gems were given a chance to try out a huge range of activities – cycling, yoga, cricket, athletics even croquet. Me and my family had a go at boccia – a kind of indoor bowls. The whole event showed that getting healthier doesn’t just mean joining a gym or taking up running – though these are great ideas too!
I also had the privilege of meeting two of our Fit For Me ambassadors – Kerry and Des, pictured above. They took up the fit for me challenge and have seen their whole lives transformed. You can read and watch their stories on the 10 minute motivations webpage – www.fitforme.info/ten. Their stories show that getting healthier isn’t just about making a huge effort to coincide with a new year’s resolution – it can be about making small but significant changes any day of the year.
