Moving Medicine

Explore by symptom

Whether it’s fatigue or breathlessness, most symptoms of long term conditions feel better when you move more. Start by finding out about how moving helps the symptoms that trouble you.

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Explore by your condition

Movement can prevent health conditions, can slow their progression, and make it easier to live well with them. Start by finding out about how moving helps the conditions you live with.

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Explore by a way to move

Explore over 40 different activities from housework to horseriding. Start by what you like, see what that’s good for, and decide on the right starting point for you.

Browse ways to move

The benefits of moving more

Push out the good years

Moving more makes you less likely to become unwell or frail. That means fewer problems like pain, feeling tired or falling, and improved quality of life as you get older.

Stay independent

Movement keeps you strong and makes it easier to do everyday tasks that can get harder as you get older, like opening a jar or getting up from the floor.

Feel more energetic

The more we move, the more energy we have and the less tired we feel. Being active also helps us sleep better, so we wake up feeling more refreshed.

Feel happier

When we’re active our brain releases feel-good chemicals. These lift our mood, ease pain and tiredness, and help us sleep and feel better.

Helps us stay healthy

Being active lowers the risk of many diseases — halving type 2 diabetes and high blood pressure risk, cutting heart disease and stroke by a third, and reducing some cancers, joint and back pain by a quarter.

Less impact if we do get ill

Being active can lower the chance of some cancers coming back, can reduce the risk of another heart attack or stroke and mean you need less medicine for depression.

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Find your inner motivation

Our Motivational Coachbot gives friendly, private, and non-judgemental support to help you feel confident about being more active. Designed by people with health conditions and health experts, it shares tips and ideas that others find useful and helps you create a personalised plan to move more.

Currently only available in the United Kingdom – please click on the little character in the bottom right hand side of this website to start your chat.

Common questions and concerns

Is it safe for me to move more?

Generally any increase in the amount you do is good for you and safe. If you have specific concerns about your symptoms or conditions, have a look at the safety pages or health conditions and symptoms pages. If you still have concerns, it’s always OK to talk to your medical team too.

Won’t it make my pain worse?

You may feel a little more discomfort at first as your body gets used to new movements — this is completely normal, it doesn’t usually mean you’ve done any harm. In fact, regular movement can help reduce pain over time by strengthening muscles, supporting your joints and optimising your pain pathways

What does ‘start at a comfortable level and build gradually’ mean?

The golden rule is start with what you were doing in the last few days and build up from there. Try to avoid the ‘boom and bust’ cycle by starting at a level you can maintain every day and gradually increase week by week

I don’t have time for exercise.

Finding time to be more active can feel difficult, especially at first, but you don’t need to drastically change your routine to start feeling the benefits. Sometimes it’s just about making small changes to what you do already – like walking to the bus stop , cycling to the shops or using stairs instead of the lift.

I feel too old to start now.

It’s completely understandable to feel that way, but the truth is, it’s never too late to start moving more. In fact, the people who are least active often see the biggest benefits from making small changes. Even gentle movement can improve your strength, balance, energy levels, happiness and confidence. You can still build muscle and increase fitness at any age. Every step counts, and it’s never too late to start feeling better.

I’m already tired enough.

It’s hard to move more when you’re already feeling tired. But one of the most effective ways to manage ongoing tiredness or fatigue is actually to become more active.

My family and friends don’t exercise.

That’s okay, being more active doesn’t have to mean going to the gym or joining a class. You can fit movement into your everyday routine in ways that feel natural and enjoyable to you

The weather ruins it.

It’s true, our weather can make it tricky to rely on outdoor activities. But there are still plenty of ways to stay active, whatever the forecast – from swimming at your local pool, to dancing round the house while you’re hoovering! Being outside with nature can help with mental health and wellbeing so try and build a little into your daily routine when weather allows, and keep a back-up plan at the ready.

I can’t afford it.

Getting more active doesn’t have to cost anything. Many of the best ways to move more are completely free and don’t require any special equipment. Consider things like walking, gardening, home exercise routines or volunteering. You might also find free or low-cost classes and activities in your local community. In some areas, there are specially designed exercise programmes at no cost.

I might fall and hurt myself.

It’s completely understandable to feel nervous about falling, but staying active is actually one of the best ways to reduce your risk of falling. Find out more here. If you’re concerned, start with activities that are supervised or supported. Don’t be afraid to ask for help.

I’m not sure where to start.

Every journey begins with a single step, and you’ve already taken it just by being here. Have a look at our ways to move pages to find something you might like and how to get started.