Sport and physical activity
Research highlights leading a physically active life has numerous benefits on your health and wellbeing, these include:
- reduce your risk of developing non-communicable diseases and musculoskeletal disease such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases and arthritis
- physical activity can boost self-esteem, confidence, mood and help reduce loneliness as well as reducing stress and depression
- being physically active helps maintain cognitive function, reducing the risk of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease
- reduce stress, social isolation and increase community cohesion
Luton physical activity statistics
Adults
- A third (30.5%) of the adult population considered inactive (those that do less than 30 minutes a week of physical activity), which is significantly worse than the national average (22.6%).
- Just over half (57.6%) of the Luton’s adult population are meeting the Chief Medical Officer’s activity guidelines (over 150 minutes of physical activity per week), which is considerably less when compared with the England average (67.1%).
Children and young people
- The Chief Medical Officers (CMO) Activity Guidelines states children and young people should complete at least 60 minutes of active per day across the week
- Data from Office Health Improvement and Disparities highlights 41.8% of children and young people in Luton are active this is lower than the England average of 47%.
Being physically active
Being physically active and reducing our time spent sedentary (sitting) is easy to do and we all have a different view on what being physically active means to us, but in order to experience benefits on our health and wellbeing we should all try to increase our activity levels daily and aim to achieve 150 minutes of moderate intensity per week.
There are so many different ways to be active and the most important thing is finding something you enjoy, this could be joining:
Being physically active doesn’t necessarily mean playing a sport or going to a gym and it doesn't have to cost a huge amount. There are plenty of free or low cost opportunities such as walking and cycling. The most important thing is that you find something you enjoy doing.
You can use the Be Active activity finder to find activities in your local area that is both near to you and suits the kind of physical exercise you enjoy.
Discover what's happening
The Luton Sport & Physical Activity Network is a voluntary body, operating under Active Luton, and has been representing sport in Luton for over 30 years.
The group made up of a wide range of representative of the sporting community across the borough, the group meet four times a year to discuss and contribute to a variety of local sporting outcomes from Luton’s Sport and Physical Activity Strategic Delivery Plan.
The network is keen to support sport and physical activity opportunities for residents across Luton, providing small grants to support talented sports people and community grants to providers supporting and delivering sport and physical activity.
We will focus our investment on supporting those with the least in our town to access sport and physical activity during the 2024-25 financial year.
Please visit the Be Active website for more information on the Luton Sport and Physical Activity Network.
The #HealthyLuton campaign is designed to support and promote the importance of having a balanced diet and being physically active, reducing sedentary behaviour to improve overall well-being and age well.
The campaign allows Luton residents to try something new through taster sessions. The taster sessions support existing clubs to increase membership.
If you would like to provide a physical activity taster session email [email protected] or you can visit the Be Active website for more information on #HealthyLuton.
Couch 2 Coach Luton provides funding for people wanting to get qualified to coach or support sports or physical activity sessions in Luton.
The aim of Couch 2 Coach Luton is to develop a broader and more diverse sports coaching workforce by training individuals from under-served groups in society or those working to increase activity levels in under-represented communities in our region.
We especially welcome applications from those who up until now don't have a coaching qualification and who are at the start of their coaching journey.
Applicants are required to find and arrange a recognised sports coaching course that suits their needs and aspirations.
We are happy to assist in finding the right course if you are unsure how to go about this or get an application.
Please visit Couch 2 Coach Bedfordshire for more information.