Why am I blogging about an active lifestyle?

I am writing this blog to promote an active lifestyle for the residents of West Norfolk.

I am a Borough Councillor for the ward of South & West Lynn (one of the most deprived wards in the county) and represent the opposition Labour group at the Council on all matters 'Sport & Technology'.

I have been keen to ensure that the Borough Council does all it can to seize upon the opportunity offered by the London 2012 Olympics to 'inspire a generation' and whilst some attendances at leisure facilities are up and sports clubs have reported some increased participation, I believe more could be done to encourage our residents to take up active pursuits.

At the age of 37, I am on the cusp of a target demographic for monitoring cardio-vascular disease, and with a son born within the last year want to improve my levels of fitness to ensure I am able to keep up pace with him as he grows and becomes more active. My levels of fitness at the moment are not great, I am able to run around a mile comfortably and play football for an hour once per week; in health terms, I would be described as 'obese', with a BMI of over 30. I have decided that 2013 will be the year that I am inspired to change that for myself.

In doing so, I hope to use many of the great facilities and active events offered within the borough and beyond and encourage others to do so too.