Howzat? ‘Walking Cricket’ sessions improve diabetes health

An 80-year-old man with T2 diabetes has improved his health by attending Walking Cricket sessions, proving it’s never too late to start exercising after taking part in a series of Walking Cricket sessions.

Shirish Modi from Leicester found out about the activity and decided he would go along in a bid to improve his health. He says, “I didn’t really know what to expect when I went along, but everyone is very friendly and the exercise isn’t too demanding. I’ve met lots of different people and I’m definitely feeling better in myself from being on the go for more than an hour every week. The sessions are led by fully qualified coaches by the Leicestershire County Cricket Club, so we’re playing a proper version of the game, but just at a slower pace.”

The Walking Cricket programme has been designed for people aged over 50 who are looking for a different approach to exercise in a bid to improve their lifestyle. It is supported by the Leicester Changing Diabetes programme to get people more active, lose weight and drive down the number of Type 2 diabetes figures in the area.

Sunny Rohit, Project Officer at the Centre for Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) Health, who is organising the cricket sessions, adds, “The Walking Cricket sessions are proving to be hugely successful. We’ve found providing a slower paced, indoor format of the game, is going down a storm with the older generation, who thought that perhaps they were too old to start getting active. The programme is a great way for men and women of a certain age to socialise, while also increasing their exercise levels at a more relaxed speed. Shirish is a perfect example of how it’s never too late.”

The weekly sessions run every Friday from 10.30am to 12pm at the Leicester Arena on Charter Street and costs £2.50. Free parking on site is available.

Leicester Changing Diabetes is a partnership programme with Novo Nordisk and the Leicester Diabetes Centre based at Leicester General Hospital. The global initiative Cities Changing Diabetes was created by pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk and was launched in response to the dramatic rise of diabetes within urban areas.   www.leicesterdiabetescentre.org.uk

News items and features like this appear in the Desang Diabetes Magazine, our free-to-receive digital journal (see below). We cover diabetes news, diabetes management equipment (diabetes ‘kit’ such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring equipment) and news about food suitable for a diabetic diet including a regular Making Carbs Count column. We just need your email address to subscribe you (it’s free, and you can easily unsubscribe should you wish to).

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Desang Diabetes Magazine is our free-to-receive digital journal (see below). We cover diabetes news, diabetes management equipment (diabetes ‘kit’ such as insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring equipment) and news about food suitable for a diabetic diet including a regular Making Carbs Count column. We just need your email address to subscribe you (it really is free, and you can easily unsubscribe should you wish to).

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