As gyms and leisure centres reopen this weekend we need a renewed focus on the benefits of exercise - whether that’s getting back in the pool, on the treadmill or on the pitch - rather than telling people off.
MPs are on tricky ground here. Time compressed by endless meetings and cramming in events and votes in the House of Commons leaves too little time for sport and exercise.
On the whole, politicians shouldn’t be trying to preach health to the public. We should be honest that we are all in the same boat.
Physical activity is crucial for physical health but for me the social nature of sport is where the magic lies.
Being together in a team is so much more than pounding out the miles just for the sake of the app on your phone.
The Women’s Parliamentary Football team has given my playing ambitions new legs too. Three years later, it has changed my life.
The magic of sport to take on both the physical and mental health challenges our country now faces should never be underestimated.
The Prime Minister has indicated that his personal experience has changed his objection to measures like the sugar tax, which places responsibility for change on those who make processed and packaged food. But this is just the tip of the iceberg.
You can’t be healthy on a bad diet. Access to affordable fresh food and the means to cook a balanced meal should be our priority.
In the longer term, we need to address the structural problems that mean that those from lower income backgrounds are less likely to be active.
Alongside better food, the possibility of a more active life, and one spent more in the company of others, has the potential to create a happier, less lonely country.
Rather than simply allowing the wound of Covid-19 to become a scar, we should be trying to create a happier, less lonely country.
The possibility of a more active life spent more in the company of others should be central. And sport is the path to that.
