Aside from the double chin, not being able to see your feet and needing several timeouts when climbing the stairs, lack of exercise and poor nutrition can detrimentally affect the body in many other ways; fortunately there are many great charities that diligently work to combat these health problems:

NEWS
At present I am filming a Fitness DVD with the SPN Fitness Group, the DVD will be sold worldwide with a proportion of the profit being donated to these charities.

Weight Concern

Weight Concern is a charity set up in 1997 to tackle the rising problem of obesity in the United Kingdom. The charity works to address both the physical and psychological health needs of overweight people and to guide the development of more effective programs of prevention and treatment.

Being overweight or obese increases the likelihood of you suffering from:
· Cancer
· Coronary heart disease
· Stroke
· Diabetes
· Hypertension
· Osteoarthritis
· Obesity reduces life expectancy by, on average, nine years.
· In England, obesity is responsible for 9,000 premature deaths each year.

Teenage Cancer Trust

Teenage Cancer Trust is a charity devoted to improving the lives of teenagers and young adults with cancer, a severely medically and socially underserved group. TCT achieves its goals through a number of initiatives, all dependent on private fundraising efforts that range from high profile concerts and sponsored treks to local community events and personal charitable giving.

A charity particularly close to my heart… about a year ago one of my best friends, Motor Racer Joe Twyman, was diagnosed with Leukaemia. The Teenage Cancer Trust and their work were integral to Joe’s recovery. Now after, 6 sessions of chemo, a full body radiation, a bone marrow transplant and months of fitness training and rehabilitation with moi, Joe is back racing, winning and out partying me and most of our mates.

Vital facts and figures

· Each day in the UK, 6 teenagers are diagnosed with cancer that is over 2,000 new cases every year.
· Cancer is the most common cause of non-accidental death in teens and young adults in the UK.
· 1 in 330 boys and 1 in 420 girls will contract cancer before their 20th birthday.
· By the age of 15 you have a 1 in 600 chance of developing cancer. By the age of 24 you will have had a 1 in 285 chance of developing cancer.
· In the last 30 years the incidence of cancer in the teenage and young adult group has increased by 50% and for the first time ever, the number of teens with cancer now exceeds the number of children with cancer.
· Teenagers contract some of the most aggressive cancers that are made worse by their growth spurts.

Stroke Association

The Stroke Association is pursuing its mission of trying to eradicate, as far as possible, the causes of stroke and to assist stroke survivors, their family and friends in achieving quality of life.

Vital facts and figures

· Each year over 130,000 people in England and Wales have a stroke.
· Of all people who suffer from a stroke, about a third are likely to die within the first 10 days
· about a third are likely to make a recovery within one month
· about a third are likely to be left disabled and needing rehabilitation.
· Stroke has a greater disability impact than any other medical condition. A quarter of a million people are living with long-term disability as a result of stroke in the UK.

British Heart Foundation

Our vision is of a world in which people do not die prematurely of heart disease.
We will achieve this through our pioneering research, our vital prevention activity and by ensuring quality care and support for people living with heart disease

· There are over 260 BHF Heart Nurses caring for patients across the UK.
· Over 1,620 Heartstart UK schemes teach people what to do in an emergency.
· More than 1.2 million people have been trained by Heartstart UK in schools and the community.
· The BHF invests over £100 a minute on research to keep the nation's hearts healthy.