Inspiring children to lead active lives is at the heart of what we do here at Aspire, and so National Fitness Day is a chance to celebrate everything that we are passionate about, everything that we stand for, and the very reason our company exists.
We wanted to take this opportunity to share why physical activity means so much to us and why it is we work each day to end physical inactivity by inspiring children to lead active lives.
But before we jump into that, here’s a bit about National Fitness Day and why it’s so important.
National Fitness Day is the most active day of the year, bringing together people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities through the power of physical activity.
At its core, the campaign is about celebrating the fun of fitness and the incredible impact being active has on our physical, mental and social wellbeing.
And the aim of the campaign? To inspire the nation to lead active lives.
This year’s theme is 'Your Health is Life', demonstrating the important significance of physical activity, and the power it has to positively impact all aspects of our lives.
Reminding and supporting people to prioritise their health and wellbeing is a key aim of this year. As a sports company, we've not only been inspiring pupils to be active, but we've also pushed each other to get moving. Our whole company took part in National School Sports Week.
For those of us who work with children and young people, we need to make the most of this opportunity to teach them about the value of physical activity.
Why?
Because the first ten years of a child’s life provides a critical window for creating a lifelong commitment to physical activity.
And because 2.3 million children and young people now do less than an average of 30 minutes of physical activity a day, 94,000 fewer children and young people are active compared to pre-pandemic levels, and the number of children with a probable mental health disorder has increased from one in nine in 2017 to one in six in 2021.
It’s vital we teach children how they can use physical activity to make them feel better, both in body and mind. We need to make them aware of both the expected and unexpected benefits, so they understand the importance of investing in their health. And then we need to create accessible, engaging and inclusive opportunities for them to be active. National Fitness Day is a valuable opportunity to do just that, equipping children with the knowledge, confidence, skills and tools to lead healthier and happier lives.
We asked our team why physical activity means so much to them and here’s what they had to say…