Living a healthy lifestyle doesn’t have to be overwhelming — small, positive choices can make a big difference. Eating a balanced diet, staying active, limiting alcohol, quitting smoking and looking after your mental wellbeing all play a key role in improving your overall health and feeling your best. These habits can boost your energy, reduce your risk of long‑term illness and help you maintain a happier, more resilient mindset.
Whether you’re taking your first step or looking to build on what you’re already doing, you can use this page to find practical help and guidance to get started.
Support in Norfolk
Ready to Change Support
Ready to Change has been developed to help people understand unhealthy behaviours and then make changes, focusing on four of the biggest unhealthy lifestyle behaviours: alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, smoking, and maintaining a healthy weight.
“Ready to Change is a fantastic tool that offers a wealth of options towards achieving personal goals. I found it especially motivational for starting my fitness journey. It made me realise what level of exercise I should be doing and how healthy eating can really help too.”
Brandon, 26, Gorleston
Norfolk and Waveney Talking Therapies
Norfolk and Waveney Talking Therapies provides a range of support for people with common mental health and emotional issues, such as low mood, depression or stress. We work with you to help you make the necessary changes to improve your wellbeing and quality of life.
Active Norfolk
Active Norfolk helps people become more physically active by supporting individuals to begin their active journey and offering easy access to opportunities through the Every Move activity finder, which lists hundreds of ways to be active across Norfolk.
They also provide Active at Home resources for those who prefer or need to exercise at home. Visit the website to get started.
Active NoW referral programme
Active NoW offers a personalised pathway for people who are inactive and living with a long‑term health condition, helping them become more active in a safe and supportive way.
Health professionals can refer eligible individuals into the programme, where the Active NoW coordination centre at South Norfolk and Broadland Councils helps them access local, inclusive opportunities – from gym-based exercise referral sessions to welcoming group and community activities, all delivered by trained, trusted partners.
Speak to your GP team if you think you could benefit from Active NoW.
Are you a professional who supports people who may benefit from a referral?
Please visit the Active NoW website to learn more about the referral programmes and access the online referral form.
Exercise referrals must be made by a professional with access to the patient’s clinical record.
Falls prevention referrals must be made by a professional that either has access to the patient’s clinical record or is supporting the patient in a non-clinical role, such as a social prescriber, housing officer, or handyperson service worker.
Support in Suffolk
Feel Good Suffolk
Feel Good Suffolk offers free services to help you make healthy changes for your health and wellbeing, including stopping smoking, getting more active and managing your weight.
Visit their website for information and resources to help you get started, and refer yourself to a lifestyle service.
Active Suffolk
Active Suffolk helps people in Suffolk get active by offering a wide range of local sports and activity sessions that are open to everyone, making it easier to find something enjoyable and suitable for different ages and abilities. They also run programmes like Fit Villages, which bring friendly, accessible exercise sessions to community spaces such as village halls and libraries, giving people simple ways to move more and feel healthier close to home.
Visit the Active Suffolk website to learn more and find an activity you’ll love.
Other tools from the NHS
NHS Every Mind Matters provides expert advice and practical tips to help you look after your mental wellbeing and make them part of your daily routine.
NHS Better Health has lots of free tools and support to help you lose weight, get active or quit smoking.
