Keep active

Find an activity

Activities for all ages in your local area, including walking, cycling and parks.

Support to get started

Benefits of getting active and who can help.

How much activity you need for your age

At each stage of your life, including childhood, pregnancy and older adults.

Older adults

Moving with age. How to build your confidence and get moving.

Pregnancy, children and teenagers

Getting active early. Some fun, free and friendly starters.

Information for professionals

Find an activity

Moving More Activity Finder for thousands of sessions, local clubs and community groups in Hertfordshire.
Hertfordshire Health Walks - free guided group walks, for anyone who wants to get outdoors and explore their local surroundings.
Hertfordshire Cycling can help you take up, increase or return to cycling. They also work with schools, clubs and businesses to promote routes and events across the county.
Parkrun is a free weekly 5k community event for everyone to come along, whether you walk, jog, run, volunteer or spectate. They take place every Saturday morning in parks and open spaces.
ParksHerts offers almost 200 parks for you to explore across the county, so you’re sure to find one near you whether to get some fresh air, use the outdoor gyms or join an activity.
Leisure centres offer free trials so you can decide if it’s right for you before joining. Find one nearest to you and check out the variety of activities available such as swimming, the gym or an A to Z of classes to suit all abilities.
Herts Wildlife Trust - look for wildlife at a local event.
Herts Sports Partnership - Herts Sports Partnership is the Active Partnership for Hertfordshire, the Partnership works collaboratively to create the conditions for an active nation and uses the power of sport and physical activity to transform lives across the country.

Support to get started

Benefits of exercise (NHS.UK)

Free activities from some fantastic organisations who work with the NHS.

Find your local Healthy Hub for free local information, advice and support to help you stay healthy and well. They're available across Hertfordshire.

Even 10 minutes a day, whatever your age or ability, has benefits to improve yours and the whole family’s physical health and mental wellbeing.

Not only does it boost your self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, but it can also help reduce your risk of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, dementia, Alzheimer's disease and some cancers.

Find something you enjoy, which will get you out and about during your day. Go at your own pace. And over time you’ll notice you’re feeling better for it. There’s lots of things to do in Hertfordshire, whether it’s on your own, with friends and family or other locals. And the best bit – it’s free and affordable.

It is recommended that adults, including those over 65 should be active for 150 minutes over a week – that’s just over 20 minutes a day. Any form of activity is better than nothing, with even 10-minute bursts throughout the day helping you keep fit, healthy and feeling good.

If you’ve had long periods of inactivity, start slowly with some light exercise. You’ll find lots of different ways to help you get started.

Older adults - moving with age

Five ways to build your confidence and get moving:

Avoid long periods of inactivity by trying some gentle sitting exercises.
Improve your strength and balance while learning some new exercises to help maintain independence.
Stay informed and apply practical tools to help prevent falls.
Find out how to get active whilst living with a health condition.
Enjoy it and start moving today by thinking of what makes you laugh – there’s even a laughing exercise guide if you need a nudge. Seriously!

Visit Age UK for advice on sitting exercises, strength and balance, getting active with a health condition, avoiding falls and practical ways to keep your body moving, whatever your age.

As you get older, unless you’ve been blessed with ‘super genes’ – it’s inevitable that your body will change, mobility may reduce, and you could become more prone to health conditions. Simple tasks like walking upstairs or kneeling to do some gardening can turn into painful daily challenges.

Staying active is more important now than ever and including activities which help improve or maintain muscle strength, balance and flexibility, at least two days a week can help. Take a look at our 'support to get started'.

Remember everyone is different and what works for you may not work for someone else. The key is to find the right physical activity for you, keep moving at your own pace and listen to your body as it discovers a new rhythm. But most importantly just have fun.

Children and teenagers - getting active early

Some fun, free and friendly starters:

Better Health, healthier families is the new home of Change4Life with food facts, recipes and activities.
Walking buses is a safe and fun way to encourage children to walk to school together.
The Daily Mile is simple, free and gets children out of the classroom for 15 minutes every day to run or jog at their own pace with their classmates.
BeeZee Families are a dedicated team of nutritionists and behaviour change experts, who can help you make real, long-lasting changes towards a healthier lifestyle, running weight management and healthy lifestyles programmes for adults and families across the UK.
HAPpy Activity Camps is a holiday provision for school aged children from reception to year 11 who are in receipt of benefits-related free school meals.
Healthy Hub Stevenage for young people provides support and advice for mental, emotional, physical or lifestyle related needs, including an active lifestyles programme of assault courses, boot camps and circuit training sessions.
Hertfordshire Family Centre Services support children, young people, their parents, families and carers, offering many free activities and services to be healthy, grow and develop, including support for pregnant women to help your baby get the best start in life.
Junior Parkrun is a free, fun, and friendly weekly 2k event for 4 to 14 year olds, taking place every Sunday from 9am, across Hertfordshire.

With childhood obesity at an all-time high and at least one in six children and young people having a diagnosable mental health condition – we all need to keep doing more to support our children and young people.

One way is by giving them a healthy start in life by being physically active, whether it’s PE in school, using alternative ways to travel other than a car, or through play and sports.

Children and young people (5 to 18 years) should on average be getting at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. It helps build their confidence and social skills, develop coordination, improve concentration and learning, while maintaining a healthy weight, strengthening muscles and bones, improving health, fitness and sleep. And it’ll make them (and you) feel good.

Childhood obesity - a plan for action (GOV.UK)

Children and young people's emotional wellbeing and health - facts and figures (local.gov.uk)

During pregnancy and after childbirth

Exercising in pregnancy (NHS.UK) - which exercises you can do and which to avoid.

If you are pregnant, start exercising gradually if you weren’t active prior to pregnancy, and if you are then keep going but listen to your body and adapt.

Staying active during pregnancy helps with mood, sleep and reduces the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and weight gain.

Exercise in pregnancy is not dangerous for your baby. In fact, the more active you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain. Throughout pregnancy try to aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity every week, whether it’s at home, out and about or at a leisure centre. Always listen to your body.

The same applies after your baby is born. Keeping active will help reduce worries and depression, control and maintain weight, improve tummy muscle tone and strength as well as improve fitness, mood (and sleep – until little one wakes that is). Depending on your delivery listen to your body and start gently.

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Keep active

Find an activity

Support to get started

Older adults - moving with age

Children and teenagers - getting active early

During pregnancy and after childbirth

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