If the physical and psychological health benefits of physical activity could be bottled and turned into a pill, the manufacturer would be rich beyond belief. That is the conclusion of a still relevant 2015 report Exercise: The Miracle Cure. Weightlifting became part of my own recovery from cancer and has now become a happy addiction. As we learn more about the estimated 1.1 million people in the UK with Long Covid – enduring symptoms and problems long after infection – we are also learning physical activity has a place for many in recovery.
Directors of public health have long been engaged in promoting physical activity for its own sake but also as an intervention for specific populations. I am lucky enough to have over 150 schools getting children and teachers doing The Daily Mile and to fund one of the largest health walk programmes in England. Watford FC’s community trust delivers a programme which uses multiple types of exercise as well as education and diet to change the
The âsecret pretendâ local lockdowns nobody knew about
Government decided people shouldnât enter or leave Bolton, Blackburn, Bedford, Leicester, Burnley, North Kirklees, Hounslow and North Tyneside, due to the India variant - but apart from a very small, buried web update, it didnât tell anyone
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Jeanelle de Gruchy: We need the tools to address Covid enduring transmission
It may be a new phrase, but ‘enduring transmission’ helps tell an old story about public health, writes the president of the Association of Directors of Public Health.
As the UK navigates the line between opening up society and keeping a lid on Covid-19, some communities will continue to face relatively high rates of transmission. The consequences of this will be felt for years through grief, poorer physical and mental health, job losses and financial insecurity, missing education and pressures on public services.
Whilst we may all be following the same roadmap, we are not in the same car. The conditions in which we live and work affect our chances of getting Covid-19 and becoming ill. This mirrors what we see across other health conditions such as mental health, cardiovascular disease and obesity.