NHS Exercise Scheme Will Award Families With Cinema Tickets And Shopping Vouchers For Getting Active

Families could get discounts on their supermarket shop, cut-price sports gear and free cinema tickets for hitting step count targets under a new NHS scheme.

The proposal, aimed at cutting the pressure on the health service, will see users of an app rewarded for walking, NHS England said.

Developers will also be asked to provide free bikes with new houses and flats to cut car use and encourage cycling.

The scheme will be trialled in Halton Lea, Cheshire, at one of 10 housing developments which make up the NHS Healthy New Towns programme.

The programme, launched last year, puts “good health at the heart of urban design and planning” and aims to “reduce pressure on the NHS by rethinking our lifestyles and the way health services are delivered”, NHS England said.

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NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said the plans “point the way” for the communities of the future.

Officials overseeing the proposals are said to be looking at existing schemes where health insurance customers are rewarded with 25% off their weekly shop if they hit monthly exercise targets, the Daily Telegraph said.

They are also considering handing out free cinema tickets and discounts on sports gear and gym memberships as incentives for exercise, the newspaper said.

Stevens said: “If there’s to be a much-needed wave of new house building across England, let’s ‘design-in’ health from the start.

“These practical designs for Halton point the way, uniting young and old in in thinking through the sort of communities we want for the future.

“The NHS makes no apologies for weighing in with good ideas on how the how the built environment can encourage healthy towns and supportive neighbourhoods.”

The proposal, put forward by London-based planning consultancy Citiesmode, was the winning entry of a design competition for the development at Halton Lea.

The final plans and delivery strategy will be submitted in January 2018.

Exercises That Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Presses Behind the Head (01 of05)

“Anything behind the neck puts your shoulder muscles in a vulnerable position. So don’t do presses, chins and pull-downs behind your head,” Pomahac said. “It's an unnatural and unsafe position and puts your shoulder joint into an extension, external rotation position which places a large and unnatural strain on your rotator cuff muscles. I recommend military (front) presses or dumbbell presses, both of which work front delts much more safely. I never lower the weight below chin level. You'll notice this is about as far as you can go without your shoulders dropping. I usually perform military presses on a Smith machine, or dumbbells which lets me roll my palms back and find a more natural position.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Seated Leg Machines (02 of05)

“I stay clear of the seated leg extension and seated hamstring curl machines,” said U.S. Track and Field Star and ACE Certified Personal Trainer Monica Hargrove. “When the leg is fully extended, that puts a lot of stress on the knee joints, ultimately risking injury. Squats and lunges are a safer and more effective way to work the quads.” She recommends trying front squats, back squats, split squats, walking lunges, stationary lunges, and reverse lunges.“When it comes to working my hamstrings, I'm more concerned with functional performance and the hamstring curl strengthens a motion not designed for running or sprinting. Straight leg dead lifts and good mornings are two exercises that train my hamstrings in better positions for running.”Photo Credit: ShutterstockClick Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never Do

Crunches(03 of05)

“I rarely ever do crunches,” said ACE certified pre- and post-natal fitness trainer Sara Haley. “To me it’s a waste of time -- too much risk of doing them wrong... I’d rather be more efficient and work my entire core with exercises like dead bug and plank variations.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock

Single-Leg Plyo Box Jump(04 of05)

"One exercise that I see people attempt, but I would never do is a single-leg plyo box jump (using the high platform). This is a move that is unnecessary and extremely dangerous,” said Basheerah Ahmad, a celebrity trainer and lifestyle coach. Click Here to See Exercises that Fitness Trainers Would Never DoPhoto Credit: Shutterstock

The Tricep “Bench” Dip(05 of05)

“This exercise places extreme stress on the acromioclavicular joint as well as the labrum,” said Chief Clinical Officer of Orthology Dr. Josh Sandell. “[Which] can lead to all kinds of shoulder problems and perpetuates the problems on anyone who has forward head posture.”Photo Credit: Shutterstock