Health Exchange

Two weeks ago, Health Exchange exhibited at ‘Voice 11’, the annual conference of the Social Enterprise Coalition (SEC). As a social enterprise dedicated to promoting health and wellbeing, we wanted to get as many people as possible at Voice 11 to think more carefully about their health, changes they might like to make to their lifestyles, and  specific choices that could improve their lifestyles. To help with this, we organised a ‘Pedometer Challenge’ to find out if collectively all the conference attendees could walk a distance equivalent to New York and back again!

Gathering data

We gave away pedometers to as many people as we could, and asked them to text or tweet us at the end of the day with the number of steps they recorded. We thought walking around all those exhibition stands meant people would walk a lot further than they do on an average day, and we were right! The number of steps taken by all those who texted and tweeted us ranged from (a colossal!) 19,203 steps to 1,212 steps (we assume this pedometer was handed out later in the day!), and the average was 9,725 steps per person. A good average step length (across a large group of people) is 30” (76cm), and from this the average distance walked by conference attendees on the day was 4.6 miles (7.4 Km) per person.

Going the distance

So did we make it? The SEC have told us there were approximately 1500 delegates at Voice 11. Assuming each delegate also walked 4.6 miles, then collectively the conference walked 6,900 miles. According to Google Earth, the straight line distance from Nelson’s Column to Times Square is just under 3,355 miles, which is a 6,710 mile round trip!                                 

So the conference walked to New York and back with 190 miles to spare!!

Answers to some FAQ’s:

How far should I walk each day?

The average of 9,725 steps recorded on the day is pretty close to the 10,000 steps generally accepted as the number that a healthy adult should aim for each day. It is significantly more than the average for a sedentary or office worker, which can be as low as 3,000 steps per day. Many of us could and should make the effort to include more walking in our daily routines, and Health Exchange even organises regular 30-40 minute health walks to enable people to take some gentle exercise and improve their fitness levels.

How can I include more walking in my daily routine?

The best way to start is to ask yourself exactly that question: “How can I do this?” We all have different daily routines but if you want to do it, you will find a way. 

If you use public transport each day, get off one stop earlier and walk the remainder of the way. If you drive to work, use a car park further from work, and finish the journey on foot. See if your company will ‘swap’ car parks with another company a short distance away, or even set up an organised walk at lunchtime. If your daily routine involves a number of short meetings with colleagues, leave the desks and chairs behind and hold your meeting whilst walking around the block together‘ – we call this ‘Walking the Talk’.

At home, get into the habit of a short walk after a meal, or take the dog for a longer walk at least three times a week.

Get yourself a pedometer – They are not expensive, and you will probably be surprised at how much (or how little!) walking you do each day.

How can Health Exchange help me find out more about changing my lifestyle to improve my health?

Talk to Health Exchange. We operate a range of programmes designed to help people improve their health and wellbeing. We want everyone to have the capability and confidence to make their own choices for positive lifestyle changes that will improve their health and the way they feel about themselves.

We work with individuals, often on a one-to-one basis to help them achieve the goals they want to achieve. We also work with organisations of all types to help reach the people they represent, and help them set and achieve their lifestyle goals.

For more information, take a look at our website (www.healthexchange.org.uk), or call our FreePhone number: 0800 158 35 35.

These messages aren’t for ‘someone else’. Each of us has a responsibility, to ourselves and to those around us, to take control of our health and wellbeing, and understand the risks we might face and how to reduce them.

It’s never too early or too late to take your first step towards living a healthier lifestyle.

Denise Walker wins a Wii Fit console, by doing what her name suggests – Walking.

After receiving a pedometer on Erdington high street at our Health and Wellbeing centre, Denise got herself walking and text the number of steps she had achieved. ‘I don’t win anything and to win this is the icing on the cake’.

Not only has she won a games console, she has also earned herself a healthier lifestyle. Since entering she has continued to get use out of her pedometer, adding extra steps wherever she can.

‘I get off the bus (a stop early)… so I can walk a bit more.’

She’s even inspired her family.

‘I use it in the day and my partner uses it at night. He does loads – more than me. We have a little competition but I’d never be able to do as many’.

Before finding us, Denise admits she needed help. ‘I’m so unfit and I don’t know why. I brought a DVD, did the warm up and I was dead.’ ‘I don’t smoke, so why am I so unfit.’

But she got help from our range of offers, including the TXT4U service. It provides personalised and confidential health information direct to your mobile on topics such as keeping fit and exercise.

‘They’re brilliant. Really really interesting.’

Best of all, Health Exchange services are completely free.

With all these new Health Exchange activities and her Wii Fit, Denise is concentrating on looking and feeling great.

‘I cant believe it…(I can) go on holiday now, get fit and look fantastic.’

Click to find out more about our TXT4U service and our Erdington Health and Wellbeing centre

Dame Elizabeth Hoodless, a volunteering advocate and voice of the sector for 40 years, today expressed her fears that David Cameron’s plans for a Big Society are not succeeding.

Despite her initial excitement at the Government plans, she does not feel they have been able to encourage more people to help their communities and worries spending cuts will damage volunteering opportunities.

Like Dame Elizabeth we believe that the Big Society already exists, but it’s patchy. Health Exchange is committed to doing its bit to build a society in which people are aware of and take care of their communities.  Our goal is to create a health conscious society; with individuals tailoring health solutions to suit their own needs with help from their peers.

Either way, we are going to do our bit to support the changes. We have a number of volunteer opportunities, and value voluntarily acquired skills in potential employees.

Our Health Walks scheme is looking for local individuals to train up to walk leaders. Regardless of your previous experience, we can provide you training and support until you feel confident enough to lead and manage your own walking group.

“Becoming a Health Exchange Volunteer Walk Leader will allow you to learn and use skills such as motivating walkers and socialising with new people, helping yourself and others to improve health and wellbeing through group physical activity, organisational and motivational skills and the responsibility of looking after a group of walkers” Says our physical activity lead, Catherine Fletcher, “Our staff are always available to help and support you with leading walks and will work with you and your group to help your walk reach its potential.”

The experience could even help you get a job!

“I wholly attribute getting this job to my volunteering history,” claims Aaron Twitchen, our Universal Services Co-ordinator, “I remember talking a lot in my interview about what I had learnt from volunteering and how I thought those skills would apply to this job. I could see it was winning them over.”

If you are interested in volunteering with Health Exchange, or want to know more about our Walks programme, please call Catherine Fletcher on 0121 663 0007

We are thrilled our walk scheme, Get Active, Get Walking, has received accreditation from Natural England - making it the 200th health walk scheme to be awarded accreditation.

This means our programme successfully demonstrated the required criteria; offering led walks for beginners, fulfilling the “Walking for Health” safety and insurance standards for all walks. We will now benefit from being seen as part of a nationally evaluated scheme as well as being formally recognised by health professionals, prospective partners and funders.

William Bird, Strategic Health Advisor for Natural England says: “The new accreditation scheme has been essential in ensuring high standards across the WHI network and providing frontline health professionals with added confidence when referring their patients on.”

Catherine Fletcher, our Physical activity lead, says: “We are always interested in setting up new walks, in new areas or with new community groups. You could even lead the walk yourself! We provide training for Volunteer Walk Leaders, which is free of charge and will provide you with a nationally recognised certificate, also accredited by Walking for Health”

Our walks programme provides free group walks in Birmingham. Averaging between 30 minutes and an hour, these weekly walks are a great way to improve your health and wellbeing, socialise, explore your local area and have fun!

We currently have over 30 walks throughout Birmingham and everyone is welcome to join in. Details of the walks can be found here, or you can phone us for current walks, which are being updated constantly.

We welcome new walkers throughout the year. If you’d like to join us for a walk or train as a Walking for Health Volunteer Walk Leader please contact the Scheme Co-ordinator, Catherine Fletcher on 0121 663 0007 or Catherine.fletcher@healthexchange.org.uk