Healthy Lifestyles Advisors
Our Healthy Lifestyles Advisors can help you to Get Active with 1-1 support available for a duration of 12 weeks. Appointments are weekly or fortnightly, delivered face-to face, over the phone or by video call. Your first appointment will last up to 40 minutes, with remaining appointments lasting 25 minutes.
Support is free and focussed on your individual needs. Our Healthy Lifestyles Advisors will listen to any concerns you might have and won’t judge you, we are here to help!
Watch our animation for more information about the help available to you
If you live in North Somerset and would like support to improve your health by changing your habits and behaviours for the long term, take our online health MOT to check if you are eligible for support.
Resident eligibility criteria
- You must live in Weston-super-Mare, Worle, Winscombe or Banwell (One Weston, Worle and Villages locality)
- If you live in the Woodspring locality (outside of the areas listed above), you must answer YES to one of the below requirements to be eligible:
- I am in receipt of income support, income-based job seekers allowance, income-related employment and support allowance
- I am unemployed
- I am employed in a routine based occupation (e.g. routine sales and service, routine production, routine technical, routine operative, routine agricultural)
- I have an annual family income (used to work out tax credits) of £15,276 or less and receive either child tax credit, working tax credit, working tax credit including a disability element
- I am in receipt of universal credit
- I am in receipt of pension credit guarantee credit or pension credit guarantee credit with saving credit
- I have a disability or mental health condition that reduces my ability to carry out day to day activities
- I have a valid HC2 certificate
Get Active eligibility criteria
Topic of support | Criteria to access support |
Get Active | Inactive, participating in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per week
Being physically active is important to you (e.g. you would like to be more active / are committed to becoming more active) |
Anyone not meeting the above resident and Get Active criteria are not eligible for support from a Healthy Lifestyles Advisor.
Exclusion criteria
- Severe/moderate frailty as recorded on a frailty register
- Has a diagnosed eating disorder
- Has a significant unmanaged co-morbidity
What does Get Active support involve?
It’s recommended adults get at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a week, or around 20 to 30 minutes a day. Plus, you should aim to do strengthening and balance exercises at least twice a week. Our Healthy Lifestyles Advisors will talk about ways to build up your physical activity levels and use information such as:
- Physical Activity Guidelines (as relevant for your age / gender / ability)
- Ways to Get Active Mind Map
- Exploring various types and intensities of physical activity
- Use of Moving Medicine’s Get Active workbook and Activity diary
- Use of Moving Medicine’s patient information finder to provide safe, up to date advice and practical tips on physical activity and long term health conditions
- Signposting you to a wide range of local physical activities available (many free of charge / discounted)
- Use of Sport England’s resources including tips, advice and guidance on how to get active, getting started, getting active at home and getting active with the kids
- Use of Pedometers / Pedometer phone apps (such as the Active 10 app) to help you move more
- Encouraging you to consider changes to your travel habits by providing you with detailed information of possible walking, cycling and scooting alternatives
Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q)
All residents joining us for 1-1 or group Get Active support with a Healthy Lifestyles Advisor are asked to compete and sign a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q).
Watch our video below to hear more about the support from our Healthy Lifestyles Advisors:
Contact the Healthy Lifestyles Advisors
Town Hall, Walliscote Grove Road, Weston-super-Mare, BS23 1UJ
healthylifestyles@n-somerset.gov.uk
01934 427661 Monday to Friday 9am-5pm