There are so many myths regarding nutrition and exercise that are propagated in the mass media that it is very hard for the average person to separate fact from fiction.

The prevalence of ill-informed dietary choices and exercise routines are alarmingly common, if this misplaced effort were channelled correctly it would achieve real results instead of disappointment and de-motivation.

For those who can’t afford to hire a personal dietician or exercise trainer this knowledge gap is very difficult to overcome.

Our idea is to place suitably qualified nutritionists (registered with the nutrition society, for example) and fitness professionals (qualified to REPS level 2, for example) in the larger supermarkets in the most deprived areas of London.

They would act as a point of reference for anybody in the community who wanted free advice regarding sensible food choices or exercise plans. They could also help dispel some of the common myths surrounding weight loss that many people believe.

A permanent feature of the store, they could also provide exercise classes and nutrition talks for the staff and customers alike to help foster a community spirit. Increasing the knowledge of staff members would lead to higher morale and lower health insurance costs. Hopefully, some of this knowledge would also work its way back into the community. Particularly in deprived areas, supermarkets act as a community focal point and many of the supermarket staff live within the community that they serve.

This post was submitted by Drew Price.

• Cost
• Not knowing what to do
• Not having access to suitable equipment

Gyms can be intimidating places for those who are taking the first step into exercise. Paying for gym membership is not necessary if you know how to exercise effectively in a park. London has many accessible parks and green spaces, even in the most deprived areas and importantly, access to these parks is free. In a gym if you need advice about exercise, you can ask someone who works there, however in a park there is no one to ask and the lack of obvious gym equipment makes it harder for a beginner to know what to do to exercise effectively.

Our idea is to provide people with a training program designed by professionals customised for the park’s layout. Based on a walking circuit of the park, different landmarks or locations within the park would be designated exercise stations, at which participants would perform one type of exercise. Exercises would be designed for all ages to introduce people who are currently inactive to some moderate exercise and to increase their mobility.

In the interests of neighbourhood cohesion and to promote safe access to the capitals parks and green spaces people could be encouraged to set up their own meet up groups, which would come together at certain times and on certain days to do the exercise circuit together.

To encourage people to make a start, free induction lessons could be run by fitness professionals to take people through the circuit at set times, for example at 12pm every Saturday.

These inductions could be advertised with leaflets distributed in certain postcodes to inspire the least active groups to attend.

Anyone would be able to access the circuit information by printing out the plan from a website, picking up leaflets at the park itself or accessing the information via a mobile device.

Once a user has completed a circuit, they will be able to post their achievement on facebook or twitter using their mobile phone, thereby encouraging their friends to also take part and to spread word of the scheme. This would give a measurable indication of the campaign’s take up within a community.

This idea will be easily scalable, replicable and sustainable because the required infrastructure is already in place and no special equipment is needed.

This post was submitted by Scott Laidler.

This post was submitted by Heidi Darley.

This post was submitted by Leo .

The sole purpose of the project is to enable groups to meet the CoH best practice framework in order to prepare for a recognised accreditation for their project.

From experience, we know of many groups that are running worthwhile health activities and all too often this goes unrecognised, unappreciated and unfunded.

Projects within Newham could be amongst the first few in the country to achieve this status.

The Award could greatly assist groups with their fundraising endeavours. It will stimulate and challenge groups to make the best of their resources. They will be able to recognise their good practices that they already have in place. It will also empower and involve their beneficiaries, stakeholders and service users. Not only could the Award offer the opportunity for group’s improved performance, it will also provide the opportunity for individual growth also.

Interested in being a part of this funded scheme? Visit our website to find out more.

This post was submitted by S Daniel.

It encourages people to take responsibility for adopting healthy behaviours around activity and nutrition and provides them with help and support from a More Active Coach which is usually someone from a local leisure facility or someone with a recognised sports or fitness qualification. .

It has been developed by experts in the fields of psychology, nutrition and physical activity and uses evidence-based behaviour change techniques to empower and enable individuals to build healthy activity and eating into their daily lives.

The best thing is, everyone has a More Active Health kit to take away with them and refer to in order to help them achieve their aims and goals of leading a healthier life.

The kit contains a 64 page self-help behaviour change guide written in a simple and easy to read format. Additionally it provides a number of tools and resources designed to support change and make things fun! The resources have been specifically developed to support the techniques used throughout the guide.

The kit enables the instructors to guide the customer through the six week programme explaining the 10 key behaviours to leading a healthier life. These are covered in two key sections:

Eat Less – this section outlines the seven key behaviours to healthy eating and provides tools and resources to help people eat more healthfully including the label reader and shopping list

Move More – this section outlines the three key behaviours to healthy activity and provides tools and resources to help people be more active including the activity “points” wheel and wrist band.

This post was submitted by Jonathan Scott.

This post was submitted by Kim Henderson.

The application would work for a variety of options including:

1. Scenic calorie-burning route finder: Enter how many calories you want to burn (e.g. 1000 cals), then enter if you want to walk, run or cycle. The application would work out a scenic route around London which would burn that number calories (in this case 1000 cals).

2. Calorific journey planner: Using a mobile app and geo-location, the app would know where you are and you could choose where you want to get to. The app would display different map routes based on the calories you would burn. E.g. short route 200 cal/20 mins, medium route 500 cal/45mins or 1000cal/1h10mins.

3. Compare the difference: Compare the route via transport versus walking. E.g. 15 mins by bus, 10 calories versus 30 mins walking, 200 calories.

The familiarity of the London map and the simplicity of displaying calories alongside the distance and journey time would be a must have tool for anyone looking to get a bit healthier. The tool would also promote London as a city and encourage people to explore it further – leading to opportunities for collaboration with destinations across London.

This tool could also integrate feeds from social media apps such as Flickr, FourSquare or Twitter to allow individuals to contribute to the routes and add new ideas for keeping healthy.

Finally – this system could also easily be added to existing sites such as the TfL Journey Planner and other well known journey planning sites inc. Google Maps. This could also be linked to the promotion of such as the Nintendo DS ‘Walk with Me’ (NHS already promotes the Nintendo Wii).

This post was submitted by Dean Russell.

• Something “different” that’s a hit with Londoners
• Appeals to all ages and levels
• Motivates Londoners to get active
• Fits in with busy city lifestyles
• Taps into the fastest growing craze!
• Idea which can be as big or small as you want – sky’s the limit!

With an estimated 9 out of 10 British adults and two-thirds of children being overweight or obese in the next decade, jogging and gyms aren’t cutting it with Londoners! Plus, with all the demands and stresses of city life, many people are telling us it’s even more of a challenge to stay active and engaged in sports.

Londoners are calling out for new ways to get active. Something “different” that’s fun, easy to do and entertaining! Everyone knows when you enjoy working out, your results come easy…

We provide just that – exhilarating Latin dance events which boost fitness levels, engages all ages and gets the most sluggish dancing!

With “Strictly Come Dancing” and “So You Think You Can Dance” hitting our screens, Latin dance is more popular than ever. Lots of people would like the opportunity to dance if only they felt safe and relaxed while doing it.

Who we are and how we can benefit Londoners:

My team and I are professional Latin dance teachers who’ve taught alongside “Strictly Come Dancing” professionals, and produced fun lively Salsa events for companies such as major bank HSBC, leading fashion brands and media agencies. We can work with outright beginners, even those who think they have two left feet and no sense of rhythm. If they can count to 8, we can help them.

Case Study – Tried and Tested:

We recently did a fun lively Salsa party for major bank HSBC, across 5 Central London branches. The feedback was it was not only fantastic exercise, which energised the teams but an incredible ice-breaker. It’s the ideal way to socialise and integrate Londoners from all ages and backgrounds. In the words of Arlene Phillips there is a “Salsa explosion” across the UK and it’s spreading like wild fire.

Testimonials:

“ Brilliant Salsa night for over 200 staff. Everyone was dancing, I definitely recommend!” (E.Reade, ESPRIT)

“Fun and exciting experience! Even as a complete beginner, I’ve learnt loads and had an enjoyable time. I feel ten times more confident and had a fantastic night!” (A.Barnard, Virgin Media)

“Easy to do, within an hour, you learn so much!” (S. Johnston, HSBC Premier)

“I was little shy, but afterwards I was really fired up! Definitely give it a try!” (C.Childs, Art Worker)

“Good exercise, it’s sexy and will make your life happier!” (D.Arias, HSBC)

“Left wanting more!” (M. Uddin, Guardian)

Ideas:

Break Records and get London Moving:

• To celebrate the London Eye’s 10th Anniversary, have 30min Dance classes in each pod to get Londoners active! With a 5min break at the top to take in the sights.

• Salsa on the South Bank and Conga in Canary Wharf – create the largest Conga line of city workers or get politicians active on the South Bank. We can offer simultaneous 30min Salsa classes in the morning or lunchtime across the capital, to break the world record of number of couples dancing! Videos of the steps prior to the event can be posted on Twitter, Face book, My Space, Change4 Life and NHS site. Target the over 50s, and arrange a visit from “Spain’s Got Talent”, 75 year old Salsa winner to do a fun class.

• Engage less sporty kids in P.E., and offer a fun lively alternative on the Curriculum – Salsa classes! Offer a day’s Salsa classes across capital’s schools, to increase fitness levels, integrate students and boost confidence!

Why Salsa?:

• Exhilarating exercise, which will get Londoners hooked!
• Universal, it appeals to all ages and backgrounds
• Simple steps and easy-to-follow moves
• Boosts Confidence and Self-Estseem– guaranteed feel good factor!
• Stress-buster – burns 100s of calories in an hour!
• Easy way to integrate and socialise communities

If we don’t get Londoners dancing and engaged in exercise fast, it will only lead to increased heart disease, diabetes and billions of pounds strain on the NHS. This not only appeals to all ages, but it taps into the hottest trend of the moment – Latin Dance. It’s fun, enjoyable and guaranteed to get Londoners active!

This post was submitted by Gabriella Warren.

We would share what we can do e.g. walk the dog, go swimming, visit the gym

We might share physical and mental activities that keep our well-being and health stable and balanced

We could then sign up other people and develop a network across the cities

This post was submitted by alex stobart.