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National Fitness Day 2023

National Fitness Day, which takes place today Wednesday 20 September, encourages the nation to celebrate the fun of fitness and physical activity across the UK.  It also aims to raise awareness of being physically active for overall health and wellbeing.

Whilst many people love nothing more than heading out into the glorious hills of Dumfries and Galloway for a walk in the fresh air to stretch their legs and benefit from the quietness of the countryside to maintain their fitness, others prefer to tie up their rugby boots and head on to the field for 80 minutes of intense physical competition. How you chose to improve or maintain your fitness is entirely your choice, and here in Dumfries and Galloway we really are spoilt for choice with so many options, either from local community sports clubs and businesses, or from services delivered by Dumfries and Galloway Council.

Did you know that our Active Communities has 59 Walk leaders who delivered 18 weekly walks last year, that saw 5,614 people take part and that more than half of our schools take part in the Daily Mile UK programme? Walking, whilst it may seem simple in its form is one of the simplest forms of exercise is one of the most effective ways of improving physical fitness and clearly one of the most popular.

Whilst walking for health is hugely popular, we must celebrate the ever-increasing number of young people attending extra- curricular sessions delivered by Active Schools over the last year. A whopping 6,936 young people took part in everything from athletics to cricket, orienteering to dance.

The disability sports team also delivered 1,314 sessions last year and between DG One, Annan and Castle Douglas Swimming pools over 1,000 children took part in curricular swimming lessons and that Active Communities also delivered physical activity classes to 11,518 people! That’s a lot of opportunities to keep fit, happy and well right here in Dumfries and Galloway before you look at the countless number of committed community sport club and private businesses who go above and beyond to support residents improve their physical fitness.

Communities Committee Chair, Councillor Ian Blake said:

“National Fitness Day 2023 is a great opportunity to encourage people of all ages, backgrounds, and abilities to recognise the importance of prioritising being active for our mental wellbeing as well as physical health. The smallest changes to your daily routine can have the biggest impact on your overall physical fitness. The work being carried out by the Active Communities team to support residents to improve physical fitness and reduce social isolation has been a pleasure to see develop over the last few years. The impact by those attending is often feedback to instructors, and hearing that confidence is increased and social isolation is decreased as a direct result of attending only goes to show that the impacts are truly profound. “

Communities Vice Chair, Councillor Jackie McCamon said:

“No matter your state of fitness, taking small steps to be more active more often will have huge benefits throughout your life – and that journey could start on National Fitness Day when you try something new. Dumfries and Galloway Council has the health and wellbeing of all residents at the heart of its priorities, and it is incredibly encouraging to see so many people engaging in the opportunities that services provide.”

For more information about improving your physical fitness in your community please visit - https://dgdoingmore.co.uk/active-communities.