Get on Your Bike to Sharpen your Mind!
Staff at St Hugh’s Hospital are hoping the three-day Tour de Yorkshire will encourage people in the neighbouring county of North East Lincolnshire to get on their bike and boost their brain health.
St Hugh’s Hospital in Grimsby is not for profit and part of The Healthcare Management Trust (HMT), a registered charity that has invested £1.1m in 11 dementia PhD projects in recent years. Hospital Director Ashley Brown wants to raise awareness of the link between regular exercise and keeping dementia at bay.
He is keen to promote cycling in particular, as it’s low-impact and kinder to joints than running or other high-impact aerobic activities, but is still good for building cardiovascular fitness.
As well as sponsoring bikes and equipment for NEL Go Ride, which helps make the sport accessible to children around the town, HMT St Hugh’s has its own cycling academy for junior riders who show promise.
It is also a proud sponsor of two professional squads, the women’s Storey Racing team and JLT Condor team, both of whom are competing in this weekend’s Tour de Yorkshire.
Ashley explained: “We’re committed to encouraging healthy lifestyles in people of all ages in the local community, not just so they can enjoy a better quality of life now, but to help prevent illnesses in the future.”
Recent research published by the British Journal of Sports Medicine suggests that just 45 minutes of exercise a week boosts the brain power of people in their fifties and over.
Similarly, research by the Alzheimer’s Research & Prevention Foundation has revealed that regular physical exercise can reduce people’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by up to 50 percent.
It can also slow further deterioration in those who have already started to develop cognitive problems. Exercise protects against Alzheimer’s by stimulating the brain’s ability to maintain old connections as well as make new ones.
Ashley added: “The Tour de Yorkshire is right on our doorstep and we hope it will inspire more people to take up cycling. Healthy lifestyles are a key part of the ethos at HMT St Hugh’s and we’re keen to help our patients and the wider community engage in active lifestyles which is why we sponsor local cycling clubs to allow more people to get fit and stay active.”
The eight-strong JLT Condor team will be among the world-class cyclists taking on the three-stage, 490-kilometre Tour de Yorkshire event which begins in Bridlington on Friday 28th April and finishes at Fox Valley, Sheffield on Sunday 30th April.
Ends
Notes to editors:
• St Hugh’s Hospital is owned and managed by the Healthcare Management Trust (HMT) a registered charity and not for profit organisation which was established in 1985.
• HMT is committed to the development of facilities, local health promotion and funding medical research.
• St Hugh’s specialises in the delivery of cosmetic surgery, orthopaedic, ENT and general surgery to private and NHS patients.
• The hospital is part of the Choose and Book scheme which allows any patient in the UK to select St Hugh’s as their hospital of choice for a number of procedures.
• St Hugh’s is dedicated to its community and runs a range of activities to encourage healthy lifestyles in its staff, patients and the public.
• Follow St Hugh’s on Facebook www.facebook.com/hmtsthughshospital and Twitter https://twitter.com/HMTStHughs to keep up to date with the latest news.
• For more information about the hospital and the procedures available please visit the website: http://hmthospitals.org/st-hughs
For media information contact:
Kerri Saxby
Shooting Star
01522 528540
kerri@weareshootingstar.co.uk
[STHughs01Condor]
