Describe a person whose health and fitness you have helped to improve.

I'd like to talk about my mother, who is in her late fifties. She works at a desk for many hours a day, so she didn't get much exercise. She had gained some weight and often felt stiff in her back, especially after work. I was a little worried about her health, so I asked her to go for walks with me in the evening. At first, we walked for about twenty minutes around our neighbourhood. We did this three or four times a week. I also encouraged her to take the stairs instead of the lift when we went to visit my aunt, who lives on the fourth floor. After a few months, she felt less stiff and had more energy during the day. She also lost a little weight, although that wasn't our main goal. I felt happy because I could spend more time with her and help her build a healthier habit. It was a simple thing, but it made a real difference to both of us.

Honestly, the person I helped was my mother, who’s in her late fifties and spends most of her working day sitting at a desk. She’d put on a little weight, and her back often felt stiff after work. It wasn’t a serious health problem, but I could see that she was becoming less active, which made me concerned about how she’d feel as she got older.

I suggested that we go for an evening walk together, rather than making exercise feel like another task she had to do alone. We started with a twenty-minute loop around our neighbourhood, three or four times a week. I kept the pace comfortable, so she could chat while we walked. I also encouraged her to take the stairs when we visited my aunt on the fourth floor. It was a small change, but it gave her another chance to move during the week.

After a few months, she said her back didn’t feel as stiff, and she seemed to have more energy during the day. She lost a little weight too, although we weren’t focusing on the number on the scales. The biggest change was that walking became part of her routine instead of something she kept putting off. I felt genuinely pleased, partly because I’d helped her feel better, but also because our walks gave us regular time together. If I’d simply told her to exercise more, I don’t think it would have worked as well.