About

Up!Up! living lighter the African and Caribbean way!

Carrying extra weight, particularly around your waist or middle area, causes a wide range of health issues. Here are a few facts about weight and health:

• Risk of infertility is three times higher in women who are overweight
• Risk of high blood pressure is double in people who are overweight
• Risk of type 2 diabetes is three to seven times higher in people who are overweight
• Risk of sleep problems is double in people who are overweight
• Risk of knee arthritis is seven times higher in people who are overweight

Whether you want to avoid diabetes, improve your blood pressure, start a family or want to be fit enough to run around with your children or grandchildren, living lighter and leading a healthy lifestyle is the best way to achieve these things.

Up!Up! is a healthy living programme that provides nutrition coaching, physical activity classes and cooking workshops to promote health and wellbeing for people of African and Caribbean heritage.

For information about healthy living and things you can do to help care for yourself, click the following link:

I have learnt so much, how important exercise is, the portions of food correct for me, good carbs, how my plate should look and learning about new foods. ”

Lorraine, Up!Up! participant

The Up!Up! Story

Up!Up! was developed to support healthy living and weight loss in adults of African and Caribbean heritage. Up!Up! was developed in partnership with members of African and Caribbean communities. This is sometimes referred to as co-production and means we worked together with people of African and Caribbean heritage, faith and community leaders and healthcare professionals to create the programme. Through our community engagement work we have developed a better understanding of how to make the Up!Up! programme more relevant and we continue to speak to people who attend Up!Up! to keep making improvements.

Up!Up! was designed with in depth insight and co-production. This resulted in a culturally tailored healthy living programme that promotes engagement and behaviour change to improve health.

Up!Up! combines diet and lifestyle information, goal setting and exercise classes that are suitable for all abilities. It is a group programme which gives participants an opportunity to share experiences, learn together and support each other to make changes.

Up!Up! aims to:

• Empower people in improving their health, through adopting healthy physical activity and diet behaviours.
• Offer lifestyle advice which is sensitive to cultural habits and in a manner that is accessible for UK African and Caribbean communities.
• Provide a group learning environment to support behaviour change through social interaction, role modelling and social comparison.

It is a 12-week programme, consisting of a 1-hour session each week. The sessions focus on different topics relating to food, healthy diets and physical activity. Over the 12 sessions, everything you need to know is covered in lots of details and there are lots of opportunities to ask questions.

Programme overview:

1. Getting started! Healthy living basics
2. Physical activity session – aerobic workout
3. Getting active! the health benefits of physical activity
4. Physical activity session – strength & resistance
5. Taking Control! Carbohydrate portions for health
6. Physical activity session – aerobic workout
7. Healthy heart! blood pressure and cholesterol management
8. Physical activity session – strength & resistance
9. Cook & Taste! Healthy, tasty cooking 
10. Physical activity session – – aerobic workout
11. Keep it up! Staying motivated for long-term health
12. Physical activity session – strength & resistance

The Up!Up! approach has provided a way through my issues without demonising my foods.”

Adebola, Up!Up! participant