WE ARE UNDEFEATABLE

Inspiring and supporting people with long-term health conditions to build physical activity into their lives.

A major new campaign has been launched to support the 15 million people who live with one or more long-term health conditions in England.

We Are Undefeatable aims to help those with conditions such as diabetes, cancer, arthritis and Parkinson's to build physical activity into their lives.

The campaign is led by a collaboration of 15 leading health and social care charities and befits from our expertise and insight, along with National Lottery Funding.

One in four people in England live with a long-term health condition, and they're twice as likely to be inactive despite evidence that being active can help manage many conditions and help reduce the impact and severity of some symptoms.

The campaign hopes to inspire, reassure and support people to be active by showing the real-life experiences of people living with a variety of conditions – both visible and invisible – on their own journeys to being active. 

Sport England Chief Executive, Tim Hollingsworth, said he hoped the campaign would inspire more people to get active in whatever way that works for them. 

“We are very proud to support our charity partners in delivering this new campaign because we know with the right support, sport and physical activity has the ability to change the lives of people living with long-term health conditions for the better,” he added. 

“This campaign forms part of a longer-term drive by Sport England to change cultural and social norms around long-term health conditions and physical activity.” 

Juliet Bouverie, chief executive of the Stroke Association and lead campaign spokesperson, said the campaign was about enjoying being active on the good days and getting through the bad. 

“People want to be more active because it improves their mood and wellbeing,” she said. “I’m hugely excited about helping more people living with a health condition feel that physical activity is possible, with lots of ideas about the ways that you can keep moving.” 

Campaign support packs are also being distributed to every GP surgery and community pharmacy in England as part of a wider programme to support healthcare professionals to promote physical activity to their patients.

To learn more about the We Are Undefeatable campaign click here

HERALDO'S STORY

"When I’m active, it’s as if my body releases some sort of drug that makes me feel good about myself."

Getting older hasn’t stopped Heraldo from wanting to be active, but his heart condition and prostate cancer made things more complex. He’s found that some things that were never particularly difficult in the past are now nearly impossible, including some of the exercises he used to do before. By trying a new activity, he found something he enjoys – and something that works out muscles he didn’t even know he had.

Heraldo has found that Pilates classes help strengthen him, while also being an activity he’s able to do. He also works moving more into his daily routine, walking, cycling, and chatting with the people he meets along the way.

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