Great Coaching can help people with long-term health conditions increase their activity levels

15 leading health and social care charities have come together for the first time to launch We Are Undefeatable, a campaign which aims to help people with long-term health conditions build physical activity into their lives, in a way that their condition allows, and to celebrate every victory big or small.

With expertise, insight and significant National Lottery funding from Sport England, the campaign is part of the sports council’s long-term drive to change cultural and social norms around long-term health conditions and physical activity, helping more people get active in a way that’s right for them.

Currently, over one in four people in England live with at least one long-term health condition, and are twice as likely to be leading an inactive lifestyle than those living without one. However, being active can contribute towards the management of over 20 health conditions such as depression and type-2 diabetes. It can also reduce the risk of developing some conditions by up to 40% and can delay the onset of and reduce the severity of many.

To provide coaches, as well as the organisations that employ, deploy and support coaches, with the reassurance they need to help people with long-term health conditions to be active, UK Coaching has created a dedicated We Are Undefeatable section on its website.

The page highlights a range of guides and resources available to coaches, and reinforces the power of Great Coaching as a tool to help people with long-term health conditions build a positive relationship with being active.

Head over to ukcoaching.org/weareundefeatable to check out the guide.

“For those living with a long-term health condition there are number of additional considerations that can make getting and staying active more challenging. This can lead to people thinking that being active simply isn’t for them. We Are Undefeatable aims to empower people with long-term health conditions to build activity into their life, unlocking the physical and mental well-being benefits of physical activity and sport.

“Coaching is a big part of the equation in getting people active. Coaches needn’t be afraid of a participant that has a long-term health condition. You don’t have to be a medical expert to consider the needs of the person in front of you. The priority is for coaches to understand and connect with their participants and create the type of environments where they thrive.

“Through our learning and development platform, the coaching workforce will find valuable information to help them feel confident and competent in working with people with long-term health conditions and providing them with great coaching experiences.”

“The resources and guides on UK Coaching’s website will help them feel more confident and knowledgeable to do that well.

“Sport England’s work in this area is as much about the role of healthcare professionals and how confident they feel about promoting sport and physical activity, as it is about making sure that sport and physical activity opportunities provide the best experience for everyone. Essentially, we are interested in making the whole patient journey seamless, so they are both being encouraged to be active and have somewhere suitable and supportive to go to do it.”

The campaign recognises the unique barriers people with long-term health conditions face and is inspired, and features, the real-life experiences of people getting active despite the ups, downs and unpredictability of their condition.

A brand-new website weareundefeatable.co.uk will be the main hub for the campaign, providing people with inspiration, reassurance and support for getting and staying active.

The charities involved are: Age UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Asthma UK, Breast Cancer Care/Breast Cancer Now, British Lung Foundation, British Red Cross, Diabetes UK, Macmillan, Mind, MS Society, Parkinson’s, Rethink Mental Illness, Royal Voluntary Service, Stroke Association and Versus Arthritis.