Dr Chloë Williamson

Physical activity messages have often focused on long-term health risks: preventing disease, avoiding illness, or reducing future problems. My research looks at a different approach: helping people connect movement with the immediate benefits they can feel today. Research consistently shows that people are more motivated by messages about better mood, more energy, reduced stress, improved sleep, connection, enjoyment, and feeling good in themselves than by distant health outcomes years away. It’s not surprising that these messages resonate. After all, these are the reasons that many people become (and stay) active. 

An important message in all of this is that movement does not have to mean elite sport or intense exercise. My own favourite ways to be active are walking my dog and lifting heavy weights - two very different kinds of movement that both make me feel good in different ways. Both reduce my stress levels, and walking helps me clear my head and slow down, while strength training makes me feel strong and capable. Small moments of movement like these can have a meaningful impact on how we feel physically and mentally, and we can often feel the benefits straight away.

‍

Campaigns like Together We Move are important because they celebrate movement in everyday life and help people see themselves in the message. The more we can share real stories, real people, and positive experiences of moving, the more we can build a culture where physical activity feels accessible, enjoyable, and relevant to everyone.