Your weekly physical activity bulletin

17 December 2024

We are working towards improving the health and wellbeing of the nation through sport, exercise and physical activity. For more information on our work visit our website or follow us on X @NCSEM_PAnews

Innovative health promotion programme for truck drivers shortlisted for national award

Academics from Loughborough University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences (SSEHS), together with Partners from the Leicester Diabetes Centre (LDC) and UK logistics company, Wincanton, have been shortlisted for a prestigious 2025 HSJ Partnership Award. The team are finalists in the ‘Most Impactful Partnership in Preventative Healthcare’ category, for their work which has translated and implemented the Structured Health Intervention For Truckers (SHIFT) programme into a driver training module.

The SHIFT programme aims to significantly improve the health and wellbeing of truck drivers by addressing the unique challenges they face, such as long hours of sitting, limited physical activity, and poor dietary options. It introduces an innovative, evidence-based approach to tackle obesity, cardiovascular risks, and other health conditions associated with a sedentary lifestyle.

Top priority action for physical activity survey

A new project from the University of Bristol is exploring what ‘physical activity professionals’ perceive as the top priority action to support population levels of transport and recreational physical activity.

It aims to hear from a wide range of countries, sectors, and job roles to understand how we advocate for physical activity promotion. 

The 8 question survey takes about 5 minutes to complete.

Loughborough signs global partnership agreement to drive equality in sport

Loughborough University has agreed a landmark international partnership with The Global Observatory for Gender Equality & Sport (the GO) to drive the elevation of activities connected to women’s sport.

Recognising the urgent need for collective action, the GO was established to advance gender equality and empower women and girls in all their diversity in and through physical education, physical activity, and sport.

Led by colleagues from the University’s School of Sport, Exercise and Health Sciences, the two organisations signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) underpinning a strategic collaboration that will expand research and innovation activities related to advancing gender equality in sport globally.

The agreement sees Loughborough become the first UK-based university to enter a partnership with the GO and will build on the already successful research and innovation projects delivered by the University’s Health and Wellbeing of Women in Sport cluster.

Consensus Statement on the Pre-Hospital Management of Exertional Heat Illness

The Institute of Sport Exercise and Health’s (ISEH) Professor Courtney Kipps, MSc alumni Dr Amy Boalch, and Dr Dan Fitzpatrick (currently a Sports and Exercise Medicine registrar at ISEH), contributed to a multidisciplinary team that developed a consensus statement on Exertional Heat Illness which was recently published by the Faculty of Pre-Hospital Care.

Exertional Heat Illness (EHI) is characterised by a rise in core body temperature and impaired thermoregulation during or shortly after exercise or physical activity. Its severity can range from mild to life-threatening. The increasing frequency, severity, and duration of extreme heat events globally, driven by climate change, further echoes the importance of addressing these conditions.

Free things to do in Wales to stay active over the festive season

With routines falling out of sync across the festive season, workouts and exercise tend to fall down your list of priorities. From winter walks to taking a dip, there are many free things you can do in Wales to stay active.

Here are some activities from Sport Wales to get your body moving and boost your wellbeing over the holidays.

• Try cold water swimming at a festive swim 

• Take the kids swimming for free

• Take part in a parkrun

• Go for a casual run by yourself

• Workout at home

• Walk along the Wales Coast Path

• Take to the mountains

• Go on a treasure hunt (or geocaching)

For any outdoor activities you might take part in, follow the guidance on how to stay safe when exercising in the dark.  

Make this December an active one and get moving with some of these free things to do. 

The weekly physical activity bulletin in a summary of news stories that appear across the physical activity sector. The National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine is not responsible for the content of external sites.

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