A healthy lifestyle is not just for New Year

A new year a new you! This is the mantra across many people’s lips as we kick start 2013. Adverts are telling you that you too can lose 15lbs, magazines are telling you to eat better and the NHS campaign Change4Life is informing everyone why they need to be more active. With so much emphasis surrounding living a much healthier lifestyle it got us thinking how much people are really taking all this in and, more importantly, how long it will take them to return to their old habits.

Just the other day we spotted someone on our social media feed saying a pretty similar thing in that they would be attempting it for a couple of weeks after their festive food frenzy and then returning to their normal diet of pizza and full-fat coke in a matter of weeks. A very unhealthy choice according to Change4Life unveiling that there is a massive 17 cubes of sugar in a bottle of cola and a wine glass full of fat in some large pizzas!

One healthy lifestyles campaign we worked on which seems to have stood the test of time is the Leeds Let’s Change which is an all year round campaign. This runs alongside the national Change4Life project and includes a fun, consumer friendly and interactive website which gives people advice about such subjects as reduced alcohol consumption, healthy eating, physical activity, smoking and weight management.

Other benefits users welcome are an interactive map telling people where they can go for help and advice regarding how to live healthy lifestyles. The website is updated daily and gives local people opportunities to take up the latest local gym and fitness offers in the city. A live Twitter feed and other online resources are also integrated into the site which is designed to work on all computers and mobile devices to give people access to tips on the move.

Working on this project was a real eye-opener as it is shocking to see sheer amount that people living unhealthy lifestyles can cost local NHS groups. It is a project we are extremely proud of and have received lots of positive feedback for. We know other areas would benefit from similar kinds of services and are looking forward to exploring new BIG ideas to help other NHS groups UK wide.