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Public Health England launched a campaign in spring 2018, which aimed to tackle the health concerns surrounding weight related issues in the UK.
The main focus was on the calorie intake of adults and followed in the success of the Change4Life campaign which was released in earlier that same year.
The Change4Life campaign, released in January 2018 focused solely on the calorie and snack intake of children. Predominantly of school age.
The guidelines were full of suggestions regarding how many calories adults should be eating daily. Giving a detailed breakdown into how those calories should be spread between meals.
What does Public Health England suggest when it comes to calorie intake?
It is suggested that adults should reduce their calorie intake from the recommended 2,000-2,500 calories per day, down to 1,800 calories for both men and women.
These calories should then be spread out throughout the day with 400 calories consumed at breakfast, 600 calories consumed at lunch and a further 600 calories consumed at dinner/tea time. The remaining 200 calories should then be split between two 100 calorie snacks. The latter is the same as the guidelines suggested for children.
It is important to note that this reduction in calories is merely a suggestion, and the government guidelines will remain.
However, it is recommended that the campaign suggestions are closely followed, in order to ensure a healthier Britain!
Why is this campaign necessary?
This campaign comes off the back of the somewhat scary obesity statistics in the UK. Obesity is an ongoing problem all over the world. However the UK remains as the sixth most overweight country on the planet.
On top of this, our adult males and females have the highest rate of obesity in Western Europe, with 27% of us being categorised as obese.
When someone is categorised as obese, this means that they are significantly more likely to suffer from weight related illnesses such as type two diabetes or CVD.
Public Health England has deduced that these rates are a direct result of overeating. It is recorded that on average an adult consumes an extra 300 calories per day. This overindulgence is suspected to come from many adults eating their breakfast, lunch and dinner, on the go.
As a result of this, the Spring 2018 campaign sought to target high street chains which sell large portions and high-calorie foods to working adults.
It is said that popular breakfasts, including granola pots, or a muffin and a latte, contain in excess of 500 calories, with some brands actually being closer to 600.
This is an overindulgence of between 100 and 200 calories sometimes before 9am!
Without partnering this type of on the go breakfast with a brisk walk or morning run, you are likely to be storing those excess calories as fat, and over time leading to an unhealthy weight gain.
On top of high calorie on the go breakfasts, many of us will opt for a ‘meal deal’ option whilst at work or simply running errands.
These quick and easy options can contain in excess of 700 calories for just a sandwich, snack and drink.
And with full-fat fizzy drink options, they can have even more than that
Again much like the breakfasts, these types of foods exceed Public Health England’s revised, healthier recommendations.
One of the criticisms of the new suggested guidelines is that they do not account for drinks.
This, therefore, means that in order to stick to the guidelines you must only drink low or no calorie drinks.
These include black coffee or tea, with no sugar, which contains just 1 calorie, or water which is calorie free.
This is not unreasonable.
High sugar and high-calorie drinks are one of the major problems when it comes to excess calorie consumption in the UK. These drinks contain empty calories.
This means that they have little in the way of sustenance but are high in both fat and calories! And not to mention, very bad for your dental hygiene!
Why do Sunshine Gym feel this campaign is important?
Sunshine Gym feel strongly about promoting healthier lifestyles, and this includes an aim to reduce obesity rates in the UK.
In order to tackle the ever-growing obesity epidemic, it is important that on top of altering your diet you must also engage in regular exercise.
Exercise is essential when it comes to a healthy lifestyle and with Sunshine Gym you can engage in a regular gentle exercise which will then allow you to progress on to more intensive exercises.
By doing small bursts of less intense exercise you can allow your body to get used to a new lifestyle, without the painful impact which running or other more intense exercises can have on your knee and ankle joints.
Cardiovascular machines such as the Double Health Walker and the Sky Stepper allow for you to complete a full cardiovascular workout without resistance and at your own pace.
Both machines mimic the actions of walking or running, yet without contact with the hard concrete. Thus reducing the risks of joint injuries.
The double versions of the machines also allow for workouts to be completed as a pair, thus encouraging sociable workouts in which you can work together to motivate each other.
Partnering our range of cardiovascular exercises with these new suggested calorie limits will ensure that you are on your way to a healthier and happier lifestyle. Resulting in the UK as a whole being on its way to becoming a healthier nation.
For more information you can visit the Public Health England Website, or download their free app.
For further information about Sunshine Gym products you can contact one of our trained advisers.