Leisure centres across County Durham are offering free, one-to-one, physical activity consultations to all residents as part of Durham County Council’s ongoing Move campaign.

The free consultation is being offered to residents in County Durham in a bid to help everyone to make physical activity a part of daily life. The recommendation by the Chief Medical Officer is that everyone should complete at least 150 minutes of moderate activity each week but it’s not always immediately obvious to people what facilities and activities are available and suitable for their needs.

This offer of free, individual support is designed to help everyone in Country Durham identify local opportunities that will help them integrate meaningful activity into their everyday life.

Cllr Paul Sexton, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for adult and health services, says: “In addition to maintaining health, physical activity has been proven to alleviate many long-term health conditions including diabetes, cardiac and respiratory disease, dementia and osteoporosis.

“We are therefore inviting everyone, especially those living with long term health conditions, to book in for one-to-one session with one of our professionals. This is a fantastic opportunity for everyone living in County Durham. Whatever your ability, situation or social background, we want to support you in being able to reap the benefits of an active lifestyle. This free consultation is a brilliant first step towards this so please visit your local leisure centre and take advantage of our offer.”

Appointments are easy and straightforward. First, residents will need to complete an appointment form via the Move website (durham.gov.uk/move), after which they will be invited to their local leisure centre to meet with one of the expert staff there. During their appointment, they will discuss their health and fitness goals, their medical history and current capabilities, and activities that they think they may enjoy.

They will also have the opportunity to experience the new Tanita technology available at all leisure centres. This state-of-the-art body composition equipment measures your entire bodily make-up, including your muscle mass, body water percentage, bone mineral mass, and much more. This can help enormously when putting together a plan for moving more, and for tracking your progress along the way.

Following the consultation, a suggested activity programme will be prescribed. This will signpost individuals to activities taking place locally that are specifically suited to their needs, such as community classes offering yoga, Zumba and walking football.

Many activities are free to attend and are specifically designed for those new to exercise or who need a little extra physical or mental support, including a 12-week Move Easy course to help you progress from 10-30 minutes of exercise. People can also take advantage of the MyWellness app, which offers free workouts at home and features a mix of live workouts and on demand classes for people of all abilities. There are also a number of free gym, swim, and exercise class memberships available, with dedicated instructors keeping tabs on you along the way.

Move has also introduced a television programme, Move Durham TV, to show residents of County Durham how they can move more at home. Showing 6 times per day every weekday on Freeview Channel 7, Virgin 159 or Sky 195, the programme consists of accessible exercises that residents can undertake no matter their ability level. Deborah Breen, wellness co-ordinator at Durham County Council, said: “These episodes are aimed at housebound people, older people and those with long-term health conditions or disabilities. With Move Durham TV we can bring the exercises to people so they can join in from their own home.”

To find out more about the Move campaign and how to access a free physical activity consultation www.durham.gov.uk/move