Today, London Sport has published a ground-breaking report entitled Fit for the Future: making physical activity routine in London’s healthcare system.
Advice from healthcare professionals can effectively motivate Londoners to take up physical activity. However, the system is not yet consistently converting this intent into sustained, equitable participation.
Without aligned leadership, workforce capability, pathways, and partnerships, advice alone risks reinforcing existing inequalities rather than reducing them.
The London Fit for the Future Framework highlights that a cultural and systemic shift is needed: physical activity must move from the margins to the core of healthcare.
Recommendations for system-led change
- Make advice routine – Embed physical activity guidance as a standard part of care.
- Provide supported pathways – Ensure practical, accessible routes for individuals to engage in activity.
- Share responsibility across the system – Promote and enable physical activity across the wider system, rather than relying on a small group of professionals.
With a holistic, unified system, London can turn public intent into consistent, equitable participation and become a national exemplar for integrating physical activity into healthcare.