According to national statistics, the NHS is now spending a record amount on treating obesity. Thetford in Norfolk is the town that has the majority of cases, and the situation there is worrying enough that the government has pledged £1m to help encourage a healthier lifestyle.

Fearing an Americanized culture of overweight people, steps are being taken to ensure we all eat healthier diets and exercise more. Thetford, being the worst culprit of the fat fry diet, has a life expectancy that is amongst the lowest in the country.

Part of the government’s healthy initiative is to encourage not only the right diet, but also an active lifestyle that will improve individual wellbeing, whether that’s through “gym equipment” such as a pedal exerciser or simply by incorporating more walking into the daily routine. To this aim, there are a number of schemes that will be implemented within the next three years over nine different towns – as you can see, there’s a lot more to it than just purchasing “gym equipment”!

Dudley – Creating family friendly parks
Halifax – Fruit and Vegetable scheme
Middlesborough – Farm expansion
Sheffield – Breastfeeding initiatives
Portsmouth – Walking and cycling initiatives
Thetford – Encouragement to exercise more
Manchester – Exercising schemes
Tower Hamlets – Healthy food initiative

Who is the greatest player to ever grace a football pitch? In this regular feature I will be profiling a true hero of the game; the kind of player whose mere presence on the pitch is enough to inspire his team to victory. The best of the best, who deserves a place in any football hall of fame. Agree or disagree? Feel free to comment!

Name:
Andriy Shevchenko

Age:
32

Clubs played for:
1994-1999 – Dynamo Kyiv
1999-2006 – AC Milan
2006-2008 – Chelsea
2008 – AC Milan

Career highlights:
• 1997 – Commonwealth of Independent States Cup Top Scorer
• 1997 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 1998 – Ukrainian Premier League Top Scorer
• 1998 – UEFA Champions League Best Forward
• 1998 – UEFA Champions League Top Scorer
• 1999 – Serie A Top Scorer
• 1999 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 2000 – Serie A Forgien Footballer of the Year
• 2000 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 2001 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 2003 – Serie A Top Scorer
• 2004 – Ballon D’or
• 2004 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 2005 – Ukrainian Footballer of the Year
• 2005 – UEFA Champions League Top Scorer
• Ukrainian National Team All-time Top Scorer

Believe it or not:
Although he doesn’t speak a word of English, he is married to American model Kristen Pazik. Apparently the couple communicate with each other in Italian, which they both use as a second language. As odd as it sounds, it must be working as the marriage has managed to last over two years so far!

Where is he now:
After a lackluster two seasons at Chelsea he has returned back to his roots and to the team that made him the “football shirts” household name he is, AC Milan.

You’ve all seen the adverts consisting of attractive young twenty-something’s shrieking with delight as they bend and jump about in their living rooms whilst using Wii Fit. It looks great doesn’t it? I have always tried to avoid going to the gym, never quite managing to find the motivation for staring at myself for hours on end while I pumped iron or concentrating on not falling off the exercise bike. When I saw the adverts for the Wii Fit though, I saw exercise in a whole new light. Was it reality as fun as it looked? Could this be the way forward for those of us who are too lazy to go to the gym?

Well, yes and no. Yes, it is fun to play, and you are arguably more motivated to prance about in your front room than you would in the public eye. It is a great way of losing weight, and the 40 different activities will mean you won’t get bored of playing it any time soon.
On the downside, it isn’t that great for building up muscles, and I get the general impression that the program was designed with women in mind. A shame really, as I think they’ve missed a trick there, but hopefully Nintendo will release Wii Fit 2: Steroid Edition soon.

As it stands, you have a more than competent ‘game’ that is both fun to play, and will help improve your overall “fitness” levels no end. Better, dare I say, than going to the gym!

Currently sitting six points clear at the top of the Championship table, Wolves have been nothing short of a revelation this season. Mike McCarthy’s boys were widely tipped to be a play-off contender, but nobody thought they would be doing so well this early on. They have beaten all their main rivals convincingly, with the standout games so far being a 4-1 victory over Sheffield Wednesday, a 5-1 drubbing of Nottingham Forest, a 3-1 romp over Charlton and a 3-1 spanking of Preston up to now in their campaign.

The big question is, can they keep the momentum going from now until the end of the season? The smart money says yes, as they have a very young team, score goals seemingly at will, and the defensive woes of last year are far behind them.

The only danger that Wolves may face themselves in come the January “football transfers” window is if certain teams in the Premier League try and poach their best players. It’s unlikely to happen, as many are on long term contracts, but Midlands supporters will be counting down the days until the window closes, leaving them free to concentrate on the promotion push. Wolves for the Premier League next year? You’d be crazy not to put money on that happening! Simply outstanding, although it remains to be seen how the team cope when they eventually do take the step up… The Premier League is a whole different ballgame to life in the Championship, don’t you know!

If you have the cash to splash, these football boots could well make you the Ronaldinio of your football team. You really will find that you run faster with a pair of these on, and while they are slightly lacking when it comes to controlling the ball for dribbling, the raw pace of your game will more than make up for any shortfalls. In terms of kicking the ball, you will find they give you an eye for the goal, as you can really get some power behind the shots.

They certainly look the part, with the famous Nike swoosh emblazoned on the sides. To wear, they make for a nice fit and will only take a few hours at most to break in. They really have been designed with comfort in mind, although some have complained that their “football boots” are if anything too tight on occasions, so try the next shoe size up if this is the case with you, or look for a more comfy pair of Nike trainers.

A good investment to make if you’re looking to improve your game, especially for attacking players. They’re not perfect, but overall we recommend The Nike Stream’s purely for the added speed they will offer players.

Each and every week I will be bringing you the players to look out for, and who you may want to consider adding to your team. If you haven’t already joined, what are you waiting for? Sign up here… http://fantasy.premierleague.com/ and get involved.

This week’s picks of “England Football”’s finest are:

Cristiano Ronaldo, Manchester United
He’s back! Being a humble type of player that likes to avoid the limelight, Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo sure has a habit of making headlines, this time with 2 goals and an assist against Stoke City. 14.6m – because he’s worth it.

Jose Boswinga, Chelsea
At 7.1m, this Chelsea defender should be on your team- he scores goals and is a regular point scorer when he isn’t worrying other defenders on the opposite side of the pitch.

Nicolas Anelka, Chelsea
Any player that manages to keep Didier Drogba out of the side thanks to his performances must be something special, and you do not get more special than Nicolas Anelka. The French enigma is all yours for 9.8m.

Who is the greatest player to ever grace a football pitch? In this regular feature I will be profiling a true hero of the game; the kind of player whose mere presence on the pitch is enough to inspire his team to victory. The best of the best, who deserves a place in any football hall of fame. Agree or disagree? Feel free to comment!

Name:
Gary Linekar

Age:
47

Clubs played for:
1978-1985 – Leicester City
1985-1986 – Everton
1986-1989 – Barcelona
1989-1992 – Tottenham Hotspur
1992-1994 – Grampus Eight

Career highlights:
• 1985 – English League Top Scorer
• 1986 – English League Top Scorer
• 1986 – FIFA World Cup Golden Boot
• 1988 – Copa del Rey
• 1989 – UEFA Cup Winners Cup
• 1990 – English League Top Scorer

Believe it or not:
Known as football’s golden boy, Gary Linekar’s he was known throughout his career in the public eye as Mr Nice Guy. A series of adverts for Walkers Crisps took advantage of this however, and portrayed him as a mean-hearted chap who stole packets of crisps from small boys. They were hilarious; as I’m sure you’d agree. He’ll be stealing kids’ football boots (http://www.bizrate.co.uk/footballequipment1/football-boots–firm-ground-football-boots/age-gender–children/all-your-football-equipment-here–football-boots/products__att650318–723660-__att683178–1035-__att723645–650318-.html) next.

Where is he now:
When he is not making Walkers crisp adverts, he is presenting Match of the Day for the BBC. It is hard to judge which one he is better at.

Time for a bit of boxing news in the “sports blog”! Londoner David Haye gave American Monte Barrett a lesson in boxing with a five-round demolition at the 02 Arena earlier this month. It was his first fight in the heavyweight division after making the step up from cruiserweight, and the Briton was generally considered the underdog before the punches started flying and it became clear he’d spent a lot of time strengthening himself on his weight bench. Haye’s trash-talking stateside opponent swaggered into town riding high on a sea of confidence, but barely half an hour after setting foot in the ring, was sent packing with his tail between his legs.

An impressive display by all accounts, with one of Ukraine’s Klitschko brothers being his next likely fight. When questioned after the fight by reporters on which Klitschko brother he would like his next opponent to be, Haye quipped: “Flip a coin, I don’t care.”

Vitali Klitschko himself was present at ringside during the fight, and appeared to be impressed with what he saw: “It’s not easy to go to from cruiserweight to heavyweight but David Haye did it brilliantly. I was surprised. The heavyweight division needs strong and good fighters. I saw a new heavyweight fighter who can fight for the world title.”

It may be some time before we see avid Haye challenge for the world title though, as Lennox Lewis (remember him?) is rumoured to be making a comeback. He is sure to be the clear favourite to fight one of the Klitschoko brothers first. If that is the case, then why don’t the ‘powers that be’ do a deal for Haye to fight the other one? See, I knew I should have been a boxing promoter…

Each and every week I will be bringing you the players to look out for, and who you may want to consider adding to your team. If you haven’t already joined, what are you waiting for? Sign up here… Fantasy Premierleague and get involved.

This week’s picks are:

Louis Saha, Everton
With two goals and an assist under his belt, the ex-Manchester United player has really made his mark on an Everton team challenging the top six of the Premiership. He’s priced at 7.3m, making him well worth the money if you ask us.

Samir Nasri, Arsenal
One of Wenger’s young prodigies, his two goals against Manchester United at the weekend helped fire his Arsenal team back to winning ways. At 7.5m though, may be a risk as he is not played all the time.

Robbie Keane, Liverpool
He took his time after arriving as one of the biggest names in the summer “football transfers”, but Robbie Keane finally broke his Liverpool duck last on Saturday by scoring a brace of goals. The first of many? At 8.5m you’d hope so!

Skiing is a great way to keep fit, but for the vast majority of us, we can only experience life on the piste once or twice a year. A far better (and cheaper!) alternative is to look at purchasing aCross Trainer. You’ve no doubt seen rows of them in your local gym; best described as a walking exercise bike, the actions you use mimic those of skiing. They’re an ideal way of losing weight and toning your leg muscles, and are now cheap enough that you can set one up in your bedroom to use whenever you like. After all, what better way is there of preparing yourself for the day ahead than going through 50 or so reps on a Cross Trainer? Actually, don’t answer that…

Because you exercise standing up, they hardly take up much floor room, and can fit comfortably in a cupboard along with your therapy ball when not in use. As a way of building up strength and flexibility, they are hard to beat, and are ideal for those looking to improve their all-round cardiovascular “fitness”. When it comes to training equipment they are head and shoulders above the rest.

Like anything in life, you only get what you pay for, but even the most basic models come with all you would need from them. Our recommendation is the Kirsty Gallacher X Train KG-10211, although we would like to point out for legal reasons that decision may have been influenced by watching Sky Sports 24/7…