Active Northumberland’s Exercise on Referral Programme now includes weight management. 

 
Active Northumberland’s popular and highly successfully Exercise on Referral Programme is now supporting more local residents. 

 

The programme has expanded to accept referrals for people who require extra support to manage their weight. 

 

It is open to those with a BMI of 25 or over who want to make positive changes to their health and who need some extra help and advice.  

If you feel that the Exercise on Referral Programme could help you – speak to your Dr or health practitioner and ask if they can refer you. 

 

Through the initiative, GPs and other health professional can refer individuals, who they feel would benefit from physical activity to help them improve their medical conditions, to their local Active Northumberland sports centre. 
 

Once a person is referred, they have an initial appointment with a fully qualified member of the fitness team to assess their needs and abilities.  They then attend two supervised activity sessions a week, over a six-month period which could include fitness classes, swimming, gym or other activity sessions.  

 

The scheme has both mental and physical benefits. As well as improving cardiovascular and muscular strength, weight loss and lowering blood pressure, physical activity can also help promote confidence and well-being. 

 

Mark Warnes, chief executive of Active Northumberland said: 
 

“Most people are aware that being active is good for your health, but knowing what activities are suitable can be very daunting if you have a medical condition such as high blood pressure or heart disease.  

“Being overweight or obese significantly increases a person's risk of having a stroke, hypertension, high cholesterol, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes so it is really important to try and maintain a healthy weight.  That is not always easy and most of us struggle with our weight from time to time. 

“That is where our experienced team of instructors can help. You don’t have to be fit to join. If you're not used to exercise, we will help you to start very gently and gradually build up your activity levels in a safe and supportive environment.  We’ll also provide advice around diet and nutrition. 

The Exercise on Referral programme has been successful in assisting hundreds of people with a wide range of medical conditions including those with blood pressure, those at increased cardiovascular risk, diabetes, those struggling with their mental health and neurological conditions such as mild Parkinson’s disease. 

 

Active Northumberland’s Exercise on Referral programme operates out of its nine key sports centres in Ashington, Morpeth, Blyth, Cramlington, Ponteland, Prudhoe, Hexham, Alnwick and Berwick.