The Energise programme is available for individuals aged 16+ who are motivated and ready to make lifestyle changes and who meet the following National Institute for Health and Care Excellence criteria:

• Are a resident in, or are registered with a GP practice, in Stockton-on-Tees

And either:

• Have a BMI of 25+ with controlled comorbidities (23+ for people of Black African, African-Caribbean and Asian origin) when referred by a healthcare professional

or

• Have a BMI of 30+ (27.5+ for people of Black African, African-Caribbean and Asian origin) and are either self referred via the form below or referred by a healthcare professional

If you match the self referral criteria and are ready to get started scroll down the page to the enquiry form.

If you would like to check your BMI to see if you are eligible please click here.

We run regular programmes throughout the year across all of our venues.

To enquire please fill out the form further down the page.

The programme is delivered across the following Tees Active venues – Billingham Forum, Stockton Splash, Thornaby Pavilion and IB Leisure. New programme dates will be released every quarter so if a particular location/day doesn’t suit your availability please check back soon.

The course is completely FREE to attend and is funded by Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council in partnership with Activ8 Health & Fitness.

Your journey will begin with an initial consultation which will include a full health check, goal setting and information on how to get started.

When you are accepted onto the programme you will be given the option to choose from a number of course start dates at one of our venues.

You will be required to attend all stages of the scheme from the initial appointment, 12 weekly group sessions, an end consultation and a final 6 month evaluation. This is to ensure you achieve you personal weight loss goals and allows us to feedback information to public health on how the scheme supported attendees.

We advise choosing a programme that offers the most suitable time so that you can attend each week. In addition to the group sessions we will also prescribe an exercise programme and we advise attending three times a week to achieve the best results and create long term habits.

The weekly group sessions will involve 30 minutes of advice and education and 30 minutes of group exercise. The sessions are within a friendly and supportive environment for you to share ideas, engage and learn about healthy eating, nutrition and exercise. The knowledge you acquire will help you to make a long term change to your lifestyle. Topics will include an in depth look at sugars, fats, carbohydrates, food labelling, physical activity and mental wellbeing. These sessions will help you to understand your diet more and how the choices you make can impact your weight and health.

Our health team are highly qualified and experienced and will ensure you find the sessions rewarding and worthwhile with lots of take home information to begin changing your lifestyle.

We offer the cutting-edge Tanita body assessment at all of our fitness clubs. Tanita body composition monitors bring fast, accurate body composition results using the latest advanced bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) technology by measuring the percentages of bone, fat, water and muscle in human bodies. This process simply involves holding onto two handles.

When you arrive for your first session our team will help you to download and set up the Activ8 Fitness app on your smartphone or tablet. Here you can view your body assessment results and also receive your fitness plan at the click of a button. If you do not have a smartphone alternative options will be available.

We will work with you to find the right activity that will fit with your lifestyle and work for you. Options include 10 week free access to our Activ8 fitness services, gym, swimming, studio fitness classes and our On Demand service.

Please note that current Activ8 members will not receive a free activity pass as they are already engaged with an active lifestyle. The health team and gym team will help you put a fitness programme together if required.

Your health advisor will support you throughout your journey on the Energise programme during weekly 1 hour sessions and in addition to their support we have a Energise community Facebook page so that you can engage with other participants on the course and ask for additional advice and support.

Our team will provide you with nutritional support and education within the weekly group sessions.

When you arrive for your first session our team will help you to download and set up the Activ8 Fitness app on your smartphone or tablet. Here you will be able to view your tailored training plan, connect to gym equipment, watch exercise demonstrations and track all of your exercise.

You can also link with other popular apps such as Strava, Fitbit and MyFitnesspal meaning you can monitor everything all in one place including what you are eating, your weight loss and activity levels. Our instructors will also always be on hand to offer further ongoing advice and support.

Hopefully at this stage you will have made manageable changes to your lifestyle and physical activity levels. Upon completion of the programme we will advise you on the most suitable activities for you to access. This may include using the gym, going swimming or attending a group exercise class suitable for your level of mobility and fitness.

During your end consultation we will review and re-assess your achievements, re-set goals and sign post you to other activities including our follow on services available for you to continue your health and wellbeing journey.

We will continue to offer weekly follow up touch points for a further 8 weeks and we will then have a final 6 month review.

After your 12 weeks on the Energise programme have been completed, you will receive another 8 weeks of Energise sessions completely free.

These will support and help you to continue on your fitness journey.

In your final 12 week course sessions your coach will give you more information on how to access the further 8 weeks.

Current Activ8 members can enrol onto the course and receive the many benefits and substantial support however please note that current Activ8 members will not receive a free activity pass as they are already engaged in an active lifestyle. The health team and gym team will help you put a fitness programme together if required.

The ethos of the service is to be accessible to as many people as possible, and reasonable adjustments will be made to support people to access it. However, an individual who meets any one or more of the following exclusion criteria is not eligible to access the service and will not be eligible for self or health professional referral:

• An individual who does not meet the eligibility criteria as defined above
• Severe/moderate frailty as recorded on a frailty register
• Pregnancy
• Has an eating disorder
• Has a significant unmanaged co-morbidity (unmanaged meaning not on medication and/or not subject to regular clinical review or have not completed a current active management programme. Where there are any concerns that this might be the case, the individual’s GP will be consulted before commencement of the programme)
• Has had bariatric surgery in the last two years
• Has type 1 diabetes/newly diagnosed diabetes and has had no clinical input
• Has profound and multiple learning disabilities (unless actively supported by their Clinician or Carer)
• Mental health or learning disabilities in-patients (unless actively supported by a member of in-patient staff)
• Has an underlying medical cause for obesity and would benefit from more intensive clinical management rather than a tier 2 service
• Head and neck cancer patients unless explicitly supported by their Consultant Oncologist