Slimming World’s stage-by-stage active lifestyle programme, complements our Food Optimising eating plan by helping members improve their overall health and wellbeing while aiding weight management.

The programme was developed in collaboration with Ken Fox, Emeritus Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol. It uses well-established psychological and scientific principles of behaviour change to help members find their own personal, enjoyable and sustainable way to incorporate activity into their lifestyle so that it becomes a regular part of their daily routine.

This unique programme is in line with government recommendations, encouraging members to build up to at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on five days of the week¹⁰, and is suitable for everyone regardless of their weight or fitness level.

Your patients can find out more about our active lifestyle programme here.

Steps to success

In group and in our Slimming World Online Community, members are encouraged to work towards Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum activity awards and record their actions on a FITT log (measuring Frequency, Intensity, Time and Type).

The power of group sharing and support is used to inspire and encourage members in moving from a sedentary to an active lifestyle, no matter their starting point.

Discussing activity helps members become more active and experience the benefits of moving more on their physical and mental and emotional health.

Discover two ways to join Slimming World

Stage-by-stage encouragement and rewards

Slimming World’s active lifestyle programme allows members to build their activity levels at their own pace and rewards the incremental introduction of daily exercise.

Platinum
For lifelong fitness! When active living is a lifestyle
Gold
10 x 15 minutes or 5 x 30 minutes per week maintained for 8 weeks
Silver
6 x 15 minutes or 3 x 30 minutes per week maintained for 4 weeks
Bronze award
45 minutes per week (spread over at least 3 sessions) maintained for 4 weeks

Encouraging behaviour change

Slimming World’s active lifestyle programme helps facilitate behaviour change towards becoming more active by:

• Helping to take the fear out of activity by removing psychological barriers and redefining what counts as exercise
• Building confidence and expertise
• Motivating members to commit to a plan
• Providing ideas and solutions to help members increase activity levels
• Developing personal ‘foot out the door’ strategies
• Supporting members to turn new skills into a routine
• Celebrating when members reach new milestones
• Continuing to support members until active living becomes a lifestyle

Slimming World have taken the ‘threat’ out of activity and devised a programme that can only have a very positive impact on the health, fitness and weight status of their members. This approach addresses psychological, then behavioural, and ultimately intrinsic commitment to activity.

Ken Fox, Emeritus Professor of Exercise and Health Sciences, University of Bristol

 

References

1. Pallister, C., Avery, A., Stubbs, J. and Lavin, J., 2009. Influence of Slimming World's lifestyle programme on diet, activity behaviour and health of participants and their families. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 22: 351-358.

Exercise can be challenging due to my MS, but as my energy increased, so did my activity levels. I started walking every evening after work and went further at the weekend. I couldn’t have done that before I lost weight – I used to get out of breath climbing upstairs. I’ve even taken up swimming again!

I used to rely on a walking stick and often had to cancel social plans because I was just too exhausted. But I haven’t used a stick in eight months now – and just last weekend, I completed a 6K walk!

Emma Inmonger lost more than 7st (45.4kg) with our digital service, Slimming World Online. She found empowering and motivating support to increase her activity levels in our online Community.

Read more real-life member stories