Public offer ideas at healthy living event

The drop-in event on Friday morning at Eslaforde gardens community centre in town was designed to inspire people to come up with tips to help others develop a programme, activity or technique them live healthier, longer, happier lives.

Luisa McIntosh said: “We have had some healthy cooking demonstrations showing recipes that encourage people to think differently about how they are putting their meals together, we had our resident health trainerDebbie chessum here too and we coudl give advice on cholestorol testing and diabetes checks.”

Visitors could learn more about Vitality, the low impact exercise classes giving chair-based workouts for those with less mobility or maybe looking to ease their wat back into exercise gently.

The first 50 people through the door got a free goody bag.

People offered healthy ideas such as “ don’t shop when hungry”, “become a gardener or a volunteer”.

Luisa said: “We want people to help us plan a programme or activity that will help others improve their health. telling people simply to get more exercise or go to a gym is not going to encourage them to do it. but there are people in this area that could really benefit from making really simple lifestyle improvements and we want other people to help with their own ideas where big expensive programmes often do not work.”

She said she wanted to “crack the proverbial nut” of those who would live happier, healthier lives if they knew how. Often this was down to people feeling they did not have time to exercise in their busy, sedentary working lives and others may have found a way to fit it all in.

One suggestion was a quick march around the room during TV advert breaks, or just putting more effort into whatever you are doing.

“You will notice the difference,” she said. They will take away the feedback, including that sent on social media.