We recognise the link between inequality and health therefore we will work with a wide range of communities to deliver wider social, environmental and economic benefits. It is our intention to maximise the impact of public funding by taking account of wider community benefits such as the development of employment, training and entrepreneurial skills.
HFT recognises that there is a connection between the negative perception that people have of themselves when they are carrying excess weight and lower self-esteem and self-confidence. We believe that a healthier lifestyle can deliver benefits not limited to a reduction of health risks associated with obesity such as high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and cancer. As well as the undoubted health benefits of weight loss our clients will also see an increase in their self-confidence and self-esteem which will help to motivate them to achieve in others areas of their lives.
We aim to help people to make better informed choices about health, wellness, and fitness. There is unequivocal evidence that maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active on a regular basis both have extremely positive effects on physical and mental health and life expectancy.
The impacts of healthy weight and physical activity are so great that The World Health Organisation (WHO) currently ranks physical inactivity and obesity as the fourth and fifth leading risk factors for global mortality. Most notably though, recent evidence shows that Cardio-respiratory Fitness is the greatest risk factor to mortality than any other risk behaviour or health condition, including obesity. Globally, physical activity is becoming a top priority as a method of health improvement and disease prevention and models of social prescription are being adopted by GPs and health professionals around the world.
Healthy weight and physical activity amongst adults is also likely to positively affect the health of children and wider family. Children are likely to inherit the health behaviour of their parents in relation to food and physical activity.
We aim to help people take holistic approaches to their health and wellbeing, which will help our clients to achieve balance and promote a healthy awareness of self.
Mindfulness is the art of taking every moment and appreciating food, nature, the people we meet and look at the whole picture – rather than a small piece that isn’t right. Finding the good in every moment is a way of weeding out the negative and inviting colour into your life. Books that make you feel good; a chat with a good friend; a visit to a place that has special meaning – all those are mindfulness moments that invite feelings of being in a ‘zen’ place.
One of the best and cheapest ways to become healthier and happier is through mindfulness exercises like meditation. Mark Williams is a professor of clinical psychology at Oxford, an expert in mindfulness-based cognitive therapy, and the co-author of Mindfulness: A Practical Guide to Finding Peace in a Frantic World. According to Williams, after nine weeks of training, participants in a mindfulness program had "an increased sense of purpose and had fewer feelings of isolation and alienation, along with decreased symptoms of illness as diverse as headaches, chest pain, congestion and weakness."
In fact, the health effects of meditation can be even more dramatic -- a matter of life and death. Williams points to a National Institutes of Health study that showed a 23 percent decrease in mortality, a 30 percent decrease in death due to cardiovascular problems and a big decrease in cancer mortality as well. "This effect is equivalent to discovering an entirely new class of drugs (but without the inevitable side effects)," they write.
Advances in nutritional science have brought us important insights into what goes into a healthy diet. Therefore our health programs will educate people about the benefits of good nutrition and how it can help to reduce health risks. HFT will deliver personalised health and wellbeing programmes, which will help our clients to achieve their goals whether that is to lose weight and/or maintain good health and nutrition.
When it comes to nutrition to and health HFT believes that every individual should focus not necessarily on specific goals but rather on just generally becoming more fit and healthy. This includes maintaining a healthy weight, getting exercise and eating a variety of foods that help to ensure one's overall nutritional requirements are met.
