IF you haven’t made a New Year’s resolution, how about more exercise?

Regular exercise benefits your heart and respiratory system, facilitates weight loss and helps prevent diabetes. It reduces your risk of cancer and can even improve your sex life.

As for mental health, exercise brightens your mood and combats depression.

In older people, exercise keeps the mind active and increases your chances of longer life.

In Redcar and Cleveland, none of us lives far from sports, swimming and fitness facilities run by the council’s partner Everyone Active; and there’s a plethora of sports clubs who welcome new members, young and old.

Or why not resolve to go for a walk or a jog each day from your own front door?

Along with Middlesbrough Council, we have the South Tees Local Delivery Pilot, supported by Sport England, which addresses health inequalities and encourages the least active to become more active.

The method is to provide motivation to kick-start sustained independent exercise.

In case you’re wondering, I’m an active member of two walking groups and, although I’m a bit overweight, I always run up the stairs to the top floor of our council’s Seafield House.

Steve Kay, cabinet member, health, housing and welfare, Redcar and Cleveland council.