NHS HIGHLAND: We all don’t have to be Olympians to be active
We have seen a large amount of world-class sport and physical activity recently.
At the start of the summer, we saw the European football championship where many people showed their support for the Scotland team by travelling to Germany. More recently the Olympics have come to an end but then we have the Paralympics to follow in Paris.
The dedication of those taking part is huge, both for the gold medallists who may be household names but also for the thousands of others who are lesser known. Many have faced adversity and injury and have had to dedicate their lives to their sport knowing that a simple mishap could end their sporting hopes. Yet we continue to see new records being set.
I was delighted to be able to be able to see a couple of events at the Olympics from the stands, at one stage sitting next to an inflatable kangaroo brought by Australian fans, but what stood out was the immense commitment from everyone taking part.
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For every Olympic and Paralympic competitor there are hundreds of other dedicated competitors and coaches, and it would be easy to assume that physical activity is on the increase throughout the world, especially given how beneficial being active is for our physical and mental health at all ages. However, a recent report from the World Health Organization shows that this is not the case and across the world the proportion of people who are physically active is decreasing and it is a particular concern among older people.
The good news for the vast majority of us for whom high-level sport will only ever be a dream is that we can all improve our health through physical activity. From children at school and nursery to people who live in care homes, there are opportunities to move more and even small increases in activity can be important for our health.
Physical activity is important at all ages but there are certain times when we can pay particular attention to the need to keep active. One is in teenage years when many young people take less interest in sport and another is for older people, for example when retiring from more active work.
For some, sport remains the answer and there are many different activities for the more able and the less able. For others it may be dance or walking your dog, or perhaps taking someone else’s dog for a walk, or to leave the car at home. We may want to do things by ourselves, we may want to be active with others; we may want to compare what we do with our past activity or with others. But whether we are interested in the great global sports events and are inspired by their stories or if we just want to get out in the countryside, let us all do our bit to increase physical activity and improve our own physical health, mental health and wellbeing.
Dr Tim Allison is NHS Highland’s director of public health and policy.
