Liz, 65, Manchester

“I want the freedom to do whatever I want to do, and I’ve seen people who have become ill maybe 18 months into retirement and can't do a lot. You know, I want to do everything possible to avoid that”

Why did you sign up for Take 5?

I’ve had lots of conversations about getting older and recognising perhaps that you don't do things as quickly. When you get up off a chair, it's a little bit harder than it used to be and I've worked very hard all my life. I've had commitments and, in a way, now's my time and I don't want to be decrepit. A close friend died last year – she was fit and active, but a brain tumour came out of nowhere. You don't know what's going to happen but there are certain things that you can do and there are certain things that you can control. I’ve been trying to do a little bit to keep myself fit but I wouldn't say I've been succeeding so when a friend said about Take Five, I thought, yes!

What did you sign up to do?

For me, it was movement. I drive over an hour to work so, I leave early and when I get home, I am tired. So, I’m sedentary. And I thought Take Five could give me a kick start to change that. I set myself the target of walking a minimum of 10 minutes every day.

And did it work?

Oh, my goodness, yes! I used Take Five in conjunction with the NHS Active 10 app which I’d forgotten I’d put on my phone but of course, I started walking and got these notifications and that became a motivation as well. I started at 10 minutes and soon found I was walking 20 or even 30 minutes a day.

Did you enjoy taking part?

Yes! I loved it! I would get home from work, get my shoes on, brisk walk through the park and to the shopping centre, then up and down the aisles of the supermarket. And when I came back, if I hadn’t done my full 20 minutes, I’d carry on walking up and down the road until I got there. Plus, I noticed the birds and squirrels and started to see the same people – the dog walkers, the old man and his wife and you say hello so it’s an additional introduction to people in your community. It’s been a joy!

Do you think Take Five is a good idea and if so why?

I liked that it was very simple and not intrusive. I really liked the fact that we got these emails regularly. I loved the ‘Wwelcome to Take Five’ - it felt personal but not intrusive because you chose whether you wanted to read them or not. It was like someone checking in on you. It's informative, but it's not lectury. I’m pretty clued up on what I should do but the hard bit is doing what you know, putting it into practice.

And did you keep it up?

Until I got a virus last week, I have walked every single day since I started in May, five months and counting. And I don't want to miss a day because I've done so well. Plus, although I only chose movement, I’m conscious of the other four areas, so I also looked to reduce the amount of red wine I was drinking, and I looked up how much water I was drinking. I think it has reinforced what is important.

Have you noticed an impact?

Yes, a real impact. I thought I had arthritis in my knees and was really hobbling in the morning when I got out of bed, struggling to go up and down stairs. If I sat in a chair for half an hour, I struggled to get up. When I drove to work, I was almost horizontal getting out of the car and what I've noticed is the pain has gone. I had to see a doctor during the summer, and I told him and he said that actually, often people think they've got arthritis. It's not arthritis, it's the fact that they're not exercising and using the muscles. So, now I definitely don't want to stop because I don't want the pain to come back. It’s a great incentive. I’ve also lost half a stone but more to go!

And it’s changed my mindset – I thought movement had to be going to a class or going to the Lake District. And what I've learnt is actually you can fit it in very easily and it doesn't have to be a massive expedition to have an impact.