Why I welcome the new physical activity guidelines and their place in preventative healthcare. Public health messaging works when it is achievable, realistic, and accessible. I know I’m not alone as a preventative healthcare practitioner in breathing a sigh of relief that the Chief Medical Officer, Professor Sir Chris Whitty has refreshed the physical activity guidelines. Rather than setting an intimidating, all-or-nothing bar, the updated guidance champions an important truth: every single...

The arts can help keep us well, aid our recovery and support longer lives better lived. (Creative Health Inquiry Report, 2017) Creativity is sometimes perceived as an ‘add on’ or ‘nice to have’ for those who are creatively inclined. Sometimes, artistic enterprise is even dismissed as unimportant in favour of other subjects. However, a significant body of research challenges this assumption. Public health and creative health are linked and it is now recognised that creative expression is a...

An image of me - locating body safety at Maria Widdows Yoga - trauma-informed practice in action This is the fifth in a series of blog posts about taking a trauma-informed approach to exercise. The other blogs are linked at the end of this article. In this post, we will take a closer look at how exercise practitioners can support people who have experienced life trauma to feel safe in their own body during exercise – or at the very least, to avoid creating situations that may exacerbate...