Exercise campaign takes its first steps

DANCE students from the Capital were set to don their dancing shoes today to help launch a national health campaign

Active Nation, part of the games legacy for Scotland, will use the inspirational effect of the 2014 Commonwealth Games to motivate Scots to up physical activity.

To help kick-start Active Nation in Edinburgh, more than 40 dancers from Dance for All were this morning having fun and getting active at a dance event in their Stockbridge studio, led by choreographer Tracy Hawkes.

The event is one of five in Scotland involving 120 people dancing their way to being active.

A newly launched website (www.ouractivenation.co.uk) will provide people with lots of ideas to help them get more active and ask them to set their Personal Activity Goals in a bid to build physical activity into their daily lives.

Shona Robison, minister for public health and sport, said: "Active Nation is about getting active, having fun and feeling good. It aims to energise and motivate all Scots to increase their physical activity in the run-up to the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games. That will be a legacy Scotland can be proud of."