Long Term Conditions

Everyone should feel empowered to lead healthy, active lives. People with long-term health conditions CAN and SHOULD be physically active!

Getting active with a health condition has many benefits. In fact, the UK's Chief Medical Officer (CMO) suggests an ideal situation would be where "referrals for exercise are just as common as prescriptions for medication". The benefit to harm ratio is outstandingly favourable (1). It can certainly reduce and often prevent many of the symptoms of long-term conditions.

However, in 2022 only 28% of residents in Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland met the CMO recommended level of 150 minutes of physical activity a week (2), and we know that those living with a health condition are twice as likely to be inactive than people without a health condition (3). Active Together want to help reverse these statistics and empower everybody to lead an active, healthy lifestyle.

Below, we have created multiple activity advice pages for various long-term health conditions. These contain information about your condition and guidance on getting active, in ways right for you.

(1) Sir Muir Gray, Kt CBE DSc MD

(2) Physical Activity and Wellbeing Residents' Survey 2022

(3) Sport England

To help address concerns around risk, Moving Medicine led the development of a consensus statement to help us understand what safety advice healthcare professionals should give to people. The results:

1. Physical activity is safe, even for people living with symptoms of multiple long-term conditions.
2. The risk of adverse events is very low, but that's not how people feel.
3. It's not as easy as just telling someone to move more.
4. Everyone has their own starting point.
5. Stop and seek medical review if you experience new or worsening symptoms.

Download this infographic summarising what healthcare professionals should know before giving advice about risk to people living with long term conditions

Read the consensus statement around risk that has been peer reviewed and published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine

Symptom specific considerations - Read more on available evidence and recommend appropriate advice for healthcare professionals to share with people experiencing common symptoms.

The guidance is for both those living with health conditions looking to move more, and for health professionals looking for more information about the benefits of moving more.