The sport of bowls is a great way to improve your physical and mental well-being.
National Fitness Day highlights the role physical activity plays across the UK, helping us raise awareness of its importance to lead healthier and active lifestyles.
And Bowls England’s High Performance Squad Member, Andy Knapper, has demonstrated the importance of a healthy lifestyle this year, losing an incredible five and a half stone since January.
The two-time Commonwealth Games medallist and current World Triples champion started changing his way of life nine months ago and has not looked back.
The Berkshire bowler, from Tilehurst BC, said: “A huge part of losing weight is believing you can do it and realising it’s not going to happen overnight. I’ve got two young daughters who keep me on my toes, and it reached a point that I realised I needed to lose some weight to enjoy my time with them even more.
“I’ve really enjoyed running and have made huge strides to manage 10km runs consistently. I couldn’t have achieved it without the continued support from my friends and family along the way, so I’d like to say a big thank you to them.”
Knapper’s journey was aided by a step challenge that he and his World Bowls Championship teammates undertook to raise money for Mental Health UK earlier this year.
The ten-strong team and four managers walked 10,200 steps per day for 30 days to complete a total of more than 4million steps which would cover the 10,200 miles from the UK to the World Championships venue on the Gold Coast in Australia.
For more information on improving your physical wellbeing and for physical activity guidelines check out the NHS website.