Moving on up! More North Northamptonshire adults exercising each week

08 June 2023

Adults in North Northamptonshire are increasing the amount they exercise with six in 10 now classed as ‘active’.

The latest data from Sport England revealed that 2021-22 has seen an increase in the number of active adults in the Council area to 62.5% from 57.4% in 2020-21.

This equates to 181,200 adults meeting guidelines of doing more than 150 minutes of exercise each week, beating the East Midlands average of 61.1%.

North Northamptonshire in 2021-22 has also seen a decrease in the number of inactive adults to 24.5% in 2021-22 from 30.6% in 2020-21.

This means there are now fewer inactive adults (an average of 2 out of 10) in North Northamptonshire – or those taking part in less than 30 minutes of physical exercise per week. 

This is lower than the East Midlands average of 27.5% and the England average of 25.8%.

This is great news for our area and I’m delighted to see that people are getting more active.

Whether it’s the thrill of elite sport or less competitive ways of moving about, getting active is a tremendous addition to people’s lives and I hope to see further improvements in the future.Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s Deputy Leader and Executive Member for Sport, Leisure, Culture and Tourism

The health benefits of being active are considerable – not just the physical advantages but also the emotional and mental gains.

Being active while younger and in middle age can also help with longevity and leading a more fulfilling life in retirement.Cllr Helen Harrison, the Council’s Executive Member for Adults and Wellbeing

North Northamptonshire results:

Inactive – exercising for less than 30 minutes each week – 24.5%
Fairly active – exercising for between 30 minutes and 149 minutes each week – 13%
Active – exercising for more than 150 minutes each week – 62.5%

It’s great to see that post-pandemic people are getting out and about more and increasing the amount they exercise.

Physical activity is beneficial in so many ways. This is very positive for our area.Cllr Jason Smithers, Leader of the Council

Full Active Lives survey 2021-22 results and reports can be found online in Sport England's Active Lives data tables.