Scotland’s National Day of Movement
On Scotland’s first National Day of Movement, 18th June, Age Scotland's Health and Wellbeing Team celebrate all who support people living with long-term health conditions to enjoy physically active lives.
The benefits of movement are now so well established, and widely communicated, as to be almost clichéd. It’s likely you already know physical activity can make you feel better today, can improve your chances of future good health, and that moving even a little more can make a big difference. So, if you aren’t much of a mover, what’s stopping you?
If you are one of the 47% of the adult population in Scotland living with one or more long-term health conditions, it might be just that. Physical activity may feel tiring, uncomfortable - even painful. It could seem risky – ‘what if moving makes me worse?’ Scientific evidence tells us that the benefits of movement outweigh the risks across a wide range of conditions, but it may not feel that way. The habit of, and confidence for, movement, are easily lost.
That’s why, today, we’re celebrating the people that support others to be more physically active: the professionals, volunteers, friends, and family members. Many of them are connected to Movement for Health, a coalition of leading health charities, national agencies, and academic institutions working together to enable people with long term health conditions in Scotland to move more, in ways that works for them.
Advice and resources to support physical activity with a variety of long-term health conditions can be found the websites of Movement for Health members, here. Age Scotland also offers a free advice guide on keeping active in later life, and through its Community Connecting Service can help people aged 50 plus with long-term health conditions to find and connect with local groups that can support enjoyable and beneficial physical activity.
If you have already discovered the benefits of moving more with a long-term health condition or disability, today is also about celebrating what you’ve achieved. And if you are yet to begin, why not use today as an opportunity to take a first step. Start small. Pace yourself. Rest as you need to. And, in whatever way works for you, move.
Find out more about how Age Scotland's Health and Wellbeing services can support you here.
