Active Eastbourne and Lewes

Physical Activity Changes Lives

We all know exercise is good for us - but the evidence is stronger than ever.

The UK Chief Medical Officers' Physical Activity Guidelines show that being active can help people of every age and ability.

🚶Improve physical health
😊Support mental wellbeing
💪Build strength and independence
🤝Reduce loneliness and social isolation
❤️Help prevent and manage long-term health conditions

Creating a more active community takes everyone working together.

If your organisation wants to help people move more, let's work together.

🖱️Click here to join https://active-el.org.uk/partners/

Staying active during and after pregnancy is one of the best things you can do for you and your baby.

The UK Chief Medical Officer highlights that being physically active during pregnancy can help:
💗 Reduce he risk of high blood pressure during pregnancy
🫁 Improve your heart and lung fitness
⚖️ Support healthy weight gain
🩺 Lower the risk of developing gestational diabetes

After your baby is born, keeping active can help:
😊 Improve your mood and emotional wellbeing
💪 Rebuild strength and fitness
⚖️ Support a healthy return to you pr-pregnancy weight
❤️ Reduce the risk of postnatal depression

A few things to remember:
✔️ It's safe for most women to stay active during and after pregnancy
✔️ Choose activities that match your fitness level and before pregnancy
✔️ Include strength exercises as well as aerobic
✔️ If you weren't active before pregnancy, start gently and build up gradually
✔️ After 6-8 week postnatal check (or when advised by your healthcare professional), you can slowly increase the intensity of your exercise over the following few months, depending on how you feel.

Every pregnancy is different, so if you have any medical concerns or complications, speak to your midwife, GP professional before starting or changing your activity routine.

Check out:
Locally
Wellbeing and Exercise in Pregnancy Programme - WEPP
https://wepp.org.uk/sussex/

National
https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/keeping-well/exercise/

No one organisation can get everyone more active on their own. That's why the Active Eastbourne and Lewes partnership exists.

We bring together organisation, community groups, charities, sports clubs, health professionals, who all share one goal:

Helping people become more physically active
🚶⛵🤸💪🏃‍♂️🎾🚴🏓🧑‍🦽🏉🧘🏊

Whether you already deliver activities or simply want to support healthier communities, we'd love you to be part of the conversation.

Together we are working to:
👍Reduce inactivity
👍Improve health and wellbeing
👍Make physical activity accessible for everyone
👍Support communities across Eastbourne and Lewes District

If your organisation believes movement can change lives, we would love to hear from you.

📩 Get in touch and become part of the Active Eastbourne and Lewes partnership.

https://active-el.org.uk/activities/

Being active from the start of life helps children grow stronger, healthier and happier.

The UK Chief Medical Officer recommends:
👶 Babies Under 1
➡️ Be active several times a day
➡️ Include at least 30 minutes of tummy time spread across the day for babies who are not yet mobile

🧒 Toddlers 1-2 years
➡️ Aim for 3 hours (180 minutes) of activity each day
➡️ Running, climbing, dancing and outdoor play all count!

🧒 Pre-schoolers 3-4 years old
➡️ At least 3 hours of activity every day, including 60 minutes of energetic play

Why does it matter?
Being active helps children develop strong bones and muscles, improve balance and coordination, build confidence, support learning, maintain a healthy weight and establish healthy habits that can last a lifetime.

The best activity is one children enjoy - so get outside, play together and keep moving!

How active should children and teenagers be?

The UK Chief Medical Officers recommended that all children and young people aged 5-18 years should aim for:
At least 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous physical activity every day (on average across the week).

This could include:
🚶Walking or cycling to school
⛹️ Playing sport
🏃‍♂️ Running around with friends
🤸 PE lessons
🛹 Skateboarding
💃 Dancing
🏊 Swimming

They should also:
Take part in a variety of activities to build strong muscles and bones and develop movement skills.
Try different activities throughout the week to build confidence and discover what they enjoy
Break up long periods of sitting by getting up and moving whenever possible

Why is this important?
Being active helps children and young people:
✅ Stay physically healthy
✅ Build strong bones and muscles
✅ Improve fitness
✅ Boost confidence and self-esteem
✅ Support mental wellbeing
✅ Improve and concentration and learning
✅ Create healthy habits that can last a lifetime

The research is clear - every movement counts. Even if your child isn't very active now, adding more movement into their day will benefit their health. The key is to find activities they enjoy, because active children are more likely to become active adults.

East Sussex Workforce Project

Calling anyone working in the physical activity sector, clubs, coaches, instructors and volunteers.

Free Training opportunity

➡️Raising Money for Your Club
📅 Thursday 10th September
🕛 12:00-13:00
💻 Online
💵 Free

This workshop provides practical guidance on fundraising strategies to support your club or organisation’s financial sustainability.

You'll explore various ways to raise money, including grant funding, and learn the key 'dos and don'ts' for securing financial support.

Through interactive discussions, you'll assess your organisation’s funding needs, compare different fundraising approaches, and develop a tailored plan to meet both short-term and long-term financial goals.

Sign up here:
https://eequ.org/book/raising-money-for-your-club-with-active-hastings-27836

East Sussex Workforce Project

Calling anyone working in the physical activity sector, clubs, coaches, instructors and volunteers.

Free Training opportunity

➡️ Helping people become more active
📅 Monday 14th September
🕛 18:00-19:30
💻 Online
💵 Free

This interactive workshop is designed to equip participants with a comprehensive understanding of physical activity, covering the importance and benefits of physical activity, types of activity and national guidelines, practical tips and common barriers to staying active, positive conversation skills and signposting and resources.

The main outcomes from the training are:
* Improved knowledge and understanding of physical activity and its benefits
* Improved confidence to have conversations about physical activity
* Improved knowledge of physical activity resources and local activities.

Sign up using this link:
https://eequ.org/book/helping-people-to-become-more-active-with-active-hastings-27846

This month will be posting info graphics and information regarding the latest Chief Medical Officers report on physical activity which was updated in July 2026.

In this mini-news series each Monday we are covering:
👩‍🦰 Physical Activity guidelines for adult and older adults
👧 Physical Activity for children and young people (0-5 and 5-18 years)
🤰 Physical Activity for pregnant women
♿ Physical Activity for disabled adults
♿ Physical Activity for disabled adults and disabled children and disabled young people
🧓 Physical Activity for older adults

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Physical Activity Guidelines for adults and older adults
More Movement = More Health Benefits

The Chief Medical Officers physical activity guidance is clear: for good physical and mental health, adults should aim to be active every day.

But the important message is this:
💬Any activity is better than none - and more is better still (until the benefits tail off at 150 minutes per week)

You do not have to go from zero to 150 minutes overnight. The biggest difference can start with moving a little more than you do now. The graph (Image Two) shows that even a small increase in movement can bring real health benefits, with the biggest gains coming as people move from doing very little towards 150 minutes per week. That could mean:
🚶Taking a short walk
🚲 Cycling a local journey
🪜Using the stairs
🪑breaking up long periods of sitting
💪 adding simple strength activities twice per week

Adults should aim to build towards 150 minutes of moderate activity each week or 75 minutes of vigorous activity, alongside activities that help maintain strength.

Start small. Build it in. Keep moving.

Go to the Active Eastbourne and Lewes site to find out more. Click the following link to see what's available near you https://active-el.org.uk/activities/

Love your green and blue spaces💚💙

Love Parks week is a chance to celebrate our parks, green spaces and coastline - and the role they play in helping us stay active and feel better.

Your local area is full of free places to move more, boost your mood and connect with others.

Around Eastbourne and Lewes, why not try:

Lewes District
🏃parkrun - Malling Rec (Lewes), Seaford, Peacehaven
🌊Seaford Seafront
🚴The South Downs walking and cycling paths

Eastbourne
🏃parkrun
🌊Eastbourne Seafront

Whether it's a walk, run, cycle, or just getting some fresh air, being active outdoors doesn't have to be complicated - just getting out into your local spaces can make a real difference.

Why not explore somewhere new this week?