Team GB’s gold-winning diver, Matty Lee, Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson and sports minister, Nigel Huddleston joined gym goers at the kick-off of National Fitness Day, which saw thousands of free activities taking place across the UK.
The annual celebration of fitness celebrated its 10th anniversary this year with the theme of ‘Fitness Unites Us’ and focusing on the ways that physical activity brings people together.
Joined by members of the public at Jubilee Hall Gym in Covent Garden, London, Matty Lee, Tanni Grey-Thompson and Nigel Huddleston MP, said the day was a “golden opportunity” for the nation to begin a physical activity revolution.
A new poll from ukactive and Savanta ComRes found that less than a third (27 per cent) of UK adults say they are as physically fit as they would like to be.
ukactive also released sector growth modelling, which shows that memberships of gyms, swimming pools and leisure centres could grow by more than five million new members by 2030, which could spark a revolution in the UK’s physical activity levels.
“It’s been such a challenging time throughout the pandemic but it has also shown us how essential daily physical activity is for our physical and mental health and resilience,” said Baroness Tanni Grey-Thompson, Paralympic champion and Chair of ukactive,
“As well as being fun, sport and physical activity is the miracle pill that can alleviate many conditions – helping to reduce the burden on our NHS – and it also unites us, bridging divisions and binding communities together.
“We must seize this moment to get our nation moving more and we want to make sure that more people can experience the benefits of being more active in their daily lives.”
