Being physically active is an important aspect of maintaining health and wellbeing. It can help prevent illness and manage existing health conditions and is a great way to spend time with others or enjoy me time.
Simply moving more can have a big impact on our health and make us feel better. Being active as we age can help keep us:
Adults should try to be active for 150 minutes a week. However, this doesn’t have to be all in one go. It can be in small chunks throughout the day. Every little counts. We should aim to move in a way that makes us feel warmer and increases our heart rate slightly.
For example, try a walk with a friend. Walking briskly is key but you can still chat as you go for it to count towards your weekly minutes. More vigorous activity such as a team sport is also good and a minimum of 75 minutes per week is recommended.
Adults should also try to do some muscle strengthening exercises every week and older adults should try to do activity that helps improve strength and balance. Simple balance exercises or more organised activities such as the following are effective:
Additional guidelines are also available for the following groups:
In the following sections you can find information about the activity sessions that are available to you.
Our sessions are for anyone wishing to get and stay active. They are suitable for adults of all abilities and experience and those living with health conditions. Our participants range in age from 20 to 80. Everyone is welcome.
Most of our face-to-face sessions are drop-in so you are welcome to just turn up.
For courses that are advertised as booking-only, contact the team directly.
To join our online sessions, you also need to register. You need to fill in a registration form.
We'll then be in touch with joining instructions. Please note if you have already attended a face-to-face session your registration also allows you to attend an online class.
When you arrive at the venue you'll be welcomed by our friendly instructor. If it's your first visit you will be asked to complete our registration form before taking part. The instructor can help you if needed.
Please arrive 10 minutes before the start to give yourself plenty of time to register.
Research tells us that being active when living with health conditions is beneficial and the advice is to try to be active if you can. It can be helpful to talk to a medical practitioner and we recommend this before joining an Active for Life session.
When you arrive at the venue our instructor will look at your registration form and talk to you about any health issues. They're qualified to adapt sessions when needed and will help you to participate safely and to go at your own pace.
If you're worried about starting to get more active, we offer the option of a telephone consultation to explore your concerns. We can discuss the suitability of the classes we offer and support you to attend a taster.
If you feel it would be helpful, we can also talk more about how activity can improve your health and well-being and help you set simple goals. Please get in touch if you would like this support.
We recommend:
Our programmes include:
Activity sessions with occasional healthy living advice. These include working on:
They happen in various locations around the city.
A range of sports, activities and events for older people which currently includes:
Low-cost fitness classes and activity sessions in local neighbourhoods including:
Regular and one-off free volunteer-led Healthwalks are available most days.
| Class | Day | Time | Venue | Bus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HK50+ In Shape for Life | Mondays (Drop in) | 9:15am to 10:15am | Hangleton Community Centre, 14 Harmsworth Crescent, Hove BN3 8BW | 47, 5, 5A, 5B |
| In Shape for Life | Tuesdays (Drop in) | 9:30am to 10:30am | Moulsecoomb Hall, Moulsecoomb Place, Lewes Rd, Brighton BN2 4GA | 49, 25, 25x, 48 |
| Dancing for Health | Tuesdays (Drop in) | 11:15am to 12:15pm | Bishop Hannington Youth and Community Centre, Holmes Av, Hove BN3 7LD | 5, 5A, 47 |
| In Shape for Life Zumba | Tuesdays (Drop in) | 11:30am to 12:15pm | Manor Road Gym, Manor Rd, Brighton BN2 5EA | 1, 1A, 7 |
| Active Forever Ping (table tennis) and Short Tennis | Wednesdays (drop in) | 10:30am to midday
| King Alfred Leisure Centre/Hove Seafront, Kingsway, Hove BN3 2WW | 700 |
| Postnatal Pilates | Wednesdays (Drop in) | 11:15am to 12:15pm | Manor Road Gym, Manor Rd, Brighton BN2 5EA | 1, 1A, 7 |
| In Shape for Life | Wednesdays (Drop in) | Midday to 1pm | Brighthelm Centre, North Road, Brighton BN1 1YD | |
Couch to 5K Contact the team for course dates and booking | Wednesdays (Booking required onto 10 to 12 week course) | 5.30pm to 6.30pm | King Alfred Leisure Centre/Hove Seafront, Kingsway, Hove BN3 2WW | 700 |
| In Shape for Life | Fridays (Drop in) | 9:30am to 10:30am | Portslade Sports Centre, Chalky Rd, Mile Oak, Portslade, Brighton BN41 2WS | 1, 1A |
See our latest Active for Life and Healthwalks programme of activities for Spring-Summer 2023.
You need to be registered for Active for Life to access our online Zoom sessions. Once you're registered, we'll make the links available to you.
Find out how to register for these sessions.
| Day | Class | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | Dancing for Health | 10am to 11pm |
| Strength and Conditioning | 6pm to 7pm | |
| Tuesday | Dancing for Health (term time only) | 11:15am to 12:15pn |
You can also subscribe to the Healthy Lifestyles YouTube channel which has lots of free videos of physical activity sessions like Zumba and strength and balance exercises.
There are lots of excellent online resources to help to get and stay active including:
To find out about other opportunities in the city visit our Activity Providers (brighton-hove.gov.uk) directory which will provide you with a list of local sport and physical activity clubs and groups.
To find out more about the cities leisure facilities and parks go to:
Also follow the Healthy Lifestyles Team Facebook page for updates about physical activity ideas and information in the city.