EDITOR'S CHOICE NEWS New police to go Green light as the GO! campaigners hit town OTHER SPORT West sends East packing CINEMA The House Bunny GET OUR NEWS BY E-MAIL Just register

Most read Comments 1 Leeford and White in table tennis final 2 Deadline looms for megashed decision 3 New police to go 4 £750,000 town hall revamp to go ahead 5 Green light as the GO! campaigners hit town 6 Resurfacing work starts 7 Best foot forward 8 Lasting Legacy is a go-anywhere car 9 First in six decades 10 Sporting day Today | 7 Days 1 GO! set out their stall 2 'We want the megashed' 3 £750,000 town hall revamp to go ahead 4 Tasty accolade for Rahela 5 Petrol prices fuel anger 6 How to land the job you want 7 Lib/Dems reveal election team 8 Cabbies plea for cash help with CCTV 9 Charity cheque handover 10 Student found dead

Comment

BOOSTING the exercise levels of Winchester's residents will be the sole responsibility of a new Active Lifestyles Officer.' Lydia Lockhart, who has been appointed by Winchester City Council, will be charged with the task of encouraging more people in the district to exercise regularly.

Only around a quarter of adults in the district participate in physical activity at the recommended level of 30 minutes, five times a week, so the city council is hoping to encourage people to exercise more in a bid to improve health and reduce obesity.

Winchester City Council says 73.2 per cent of residents do not take the recommended regular exercise.

While the figures are not as bad as most districts, the council is keen to reduce obesity, diabetes, heart attacks and strokes, which can be linked to poor fitness.

One of Miss Lockhart's first tasks will be to re-launch a scheme that allows residents suffering from obesity and high blood pressure to be referred to leisure centres by GPs for personalised exercise programmes.

People taking up the challenge will receive personalised programmes at either the River Park Leisure Centre in Winchester, or Meadowside Leisure Centre atWhiteley.

The activities will range from swimming to aerobics, with the possibility of some subsidised prices.

Another idea is a series of health walks in Winchester and Whiteley, which will be free, and suitable for all ages.

Qualified gym instructor Miss Lockhart, who will be based at the city's River Park Leisure Centre, said: "Over the next four years, with excitement growing at the prospect of the 2012 Olympics in London, we have the perfect opportunity to introduce more people to the fun and personal satisfaction of regular exercise.

"I am looking forward to helping people discover healthier lifestyles."

The new post is jointly funded by Winchester City Council, River Park Leisure Centre operators DC Leisure, Sport England and Hampshire County Council.

Winchester City Council cabinet member for heritage, culture and sport, Cllr Patricia Stallard, said: "We want to encourage more people to embrace an active lifestyle and enjoy the health benefits that can come with it.

"Our active lifestyles officer will be spreading that message across the district, whilst also working to increase the range and accessibility of activities available to residents."

For more information contact Miss Lockhart on 07980 732 158 or e-mail llockhart@winchester.gov.uk.

11:04am Thursday 3rd July 2008

Print

Email this

Comment

Add your comment

Name:
Email: *
Location:
**
	e.g. 123-123
Comment: Please note: All HTML tags will be ignored. Format Text:
By posting a comment, I confirm that I have read and agree to the terms of use. Comments are not moderated but we will react if anything that breaks the rules comes to our attention and we may delete inappropriate postings. Please treat other people with respect. You must not post anything that is abusive, indecent, unlawful or defamatory. Remember, you are personally liable for what you post on this site. If you wish to complain about a comment, contact us here.
* Your email address will not be displayed ** To avoid register now or login