Shape Up on a Shoestring

The Sports Council for Wales has launched a campaign to help Wales win the battle of the bulge that’s stretching waistlines and budgets to breaking point.

The Shape up on a Shoestring campaign is designed to give the Welsh public all the essential tools needed to maintain a healthy lifestyle without breaking the bank.

Biting back at the Credit Crunch inertia, the Sports Council has collated a series of expert tips on low cost exercise options, motivational mantras and easy-to-swallow nutritional advice to help slim down waistlines and bulk up wallets during the recession.

Access to some of the nation’s finest sports science and medicine experts and high profile athletes have allowed a rare and exclusive insight into some of the best training tips available. The likes of Olympic gold medal winning cyclist Geraint Thomas, sprinter Christian Malcolm and world champion triathlete Helen Tucker have all thrown their weight behind the cause.

All this is being made available at the touch of a button, on a dedicated Facebook page that hosts tips, training videos, recipes, quizzes and more for users to dip in and out and interact with others looking to share their experiences. The Sports Council has teamed up with Food Standards Agency Wales to share their range of ‘eatwell’ nutritional tips and recipes and has received endorsements from the Principality Building Society and Age Concern Wales.

See the Sports Council for Wales' Facebook page

Huw Jones, Chief Executive of the Sports Council for Wales said: “The Sports Council for Wales is ultimately aiming to help get more people running all the way to the bank...and beyond. As the national organisation responsible for developing and promoting sport and active lifestyles in Wales and the main adviser on sporting matters to the Welsh Assembly Government, we are ideally placed to share practical expertise to help the Welsh nation adopt affordable healthy lifestyles.”

Graeme Yorston, Chief Operating Officer at Principality Building Society, said: “The ‘shape up on a shoestring’ campaign is about leading a healthy lifestyle and the tips and advice on offer will help people to think positively, focusing on the benefits of improving their health as well as maximising their cash over the longer term. By growing our own vegetables, choosing to walk rather than take the car and cutting back on bad habits such as excess drinking, we will not only improve our lifestyles but also our piggy banks, leading to a healthy financial future."

Dr Richard Lewis, Welsh Secretary of British Medical Association, said: “We all recognise that physical activity is hugely beneficial to health – yet how many of us actually do enough? The more we can encourage the people of Wales to take simple steps to improve their health and wellbeing, the better.

“If we all undertook the physical activity which is recommended (30 minutes of exercise five times a week for adults), the burden on the NHS would be dramatically reduced. Everyone can increase their activity levels and initiatives, such as ‘Shape up on a Shoestring,’ are an invaluable source of encouragement to get people started.”

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