skip to main content
  • Join
  • Find centre
  • Book lesson or course
  • Book activity / login
    • All Memberships
    • Monthly Memberships
    • Student Membership
    • Swim Membership
    • Corporate Memberships
    • Pay As You Go Memberships
    • Concessionary Memberships
    • Day Passes
    • Library Memberships
    • Leisure Centres

      • Aqua Splash
      • Athletics
      • Badminton
      • Basketball
      • Better At Home
      • Birthday Parties
      • Climbing
      • Cycling
      • Diving
      • Fitness Classes
      • Football
      • For the Girls
      • Gym Workout
      • Gymnastics
      • Healthwise
      • Ice Skating
      • Junior Gym
      • Kids Activities
      • Outdoor Swimming
      • Personal Training
      • Racquet Sports
      • Senior Activities
      • Soft Play
      • Spa Experience Treatments
      • Squash
      • Swimming
      • Tennis
      • Trampoline and Play Park
      • Watersports
      • Weight loss with Better
    • Lessons and Courses

      • Tennis Lessons
      • Swimming Lessons
      • Performing Arts
      • Gymnastics Courses
      • Basketball Lessons
      • Tom Daley Diving Academy
    • Libraries

      • Adult Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Children's Activities
      • English Language and Writing Groups
      • Film Club
      • Heritage Service
      • Reading Groups
      • Social Activities
      • Support and Advice
      • E-Resources
    • Children's Centres

      • Activities for Children
      • Employability Skills
      • Legal and Financial Support
      • Nursery
      • Pregnancy Support and Advice
    • Leisure
    • Libraries
    • Spa Experience
    • Venue Hire
    • Children's Centres
    • Creating Healthy Communities
    • Better Health For Me
    • Community Groups and Schools
    • Sports Clubs
    • Workplace Health
    • Community Stories
    • Our Partners
    • Skills for life
    • A Charitable Social Enterprise
    • Our Story
    • Our Values
    • Careers
    • News
  • Help Centre
    • Join
    • Find centre
    • Book lesson or course
    • Book activity / login
    • All Memberships
    • Monthly Memberships
    • Student Membership
    • Swim Membership
    • Corporate Memberships
    • Pay As You Go Memberships
    • Concessionary Memberships
    • Day Passes
    • Library Memberships
      • Aqua Splash
      • Athletics
      • Badminton
      • Basketball
      • Better At Home
      • Birthday Parties
      • Climbing
      • Cycling
      • Diving
      • Fitness Classes
      • Football
      • For the Girls
      • Gym Workout
      • Gymnastics
      • Healthwise
      • Ice Skating
      • Junior Gym
      • Kids Activities
      • Outdoor Swimming
      • Personal Training
      • Racquet Sports
      • Senior Activities
      • Soft Play
      • Spa Experience Treatments
      • Squash
      • Swimming
      • Tennis
      • Trampoline and Play Park
      • Watersports
      • Weight loss with Better
      • Tennis Lessons
      • Swimming Lessons
      • Performing Arts
      • Gymnastics Courses
      • Basketball Lessons
      • Tom Daley Diving Academy
      • Adult Activities
      • Arts and Crafts
      • Children's Activities
      • English Language and Writing Groups
      • Film Club
      • Heritage Service
      • Reading Groups
      • Social Activities
      • Support and Advice
      • E-Resources
      • Activities for Children
      • Employability Skills
      • Legal and Financial Support
      • Nursery
      • Pregnancy Support and Advice
    • Leisure
    • Libraries
    • Spa Experience
    • Venue Hire
    • Children's Centres
    • Creating Healthy Communities
    • Better Health For Me
    • Community Groups and Schools
    • Sports Clubs
    • Workplace Health
    • Community Stories
    • Our Partners
    • Skills for life
    • A Charitable Social Enterprise
    • Our Story
    • Our Values
    • Careers
    • News
  • Help Centre

Why choose Better?

Watch Video >>>

Risk Factors

There are a lot of factors at play when it comes to the health of your heart. There are the ones you can't control:

Hereditary factors

  • Age - the older you are, the more likely you are to develop Coronary Heart Disease (CHD)
  • Family history of heart health - Having a relative with high blood pressure puts you at an increased risk.
  • Ethnicity: African-Caribbean and South Asian people have a greater risk of high blood pressure compared to other ethnic groups.
  • Sex - men are more likely to develop CHD at an earlier age than women

And there are other factors you can control:

Lifestyle choices

  • Diet – Too much salt and saturated fats; not enough fruit and vegetables; and too much caffeine all increase your risk of developing high blood pressure, cholesterol and your risk of heart related health problems. The food and drink choices we make have a big effect on the health of the heart and blood vessels.
  • Lack of physical activity: Being inactive increases your risk of high blood pressure
  • Smoking: Smoking doesn't directly cause high blood pressure, but it puts you at much higher risk of a heart attack and stroke. Smoking, like high blood pressure, will cause your arteries to narrow. If you smoke and have high blood pressure, your arteries will narrow much more quickly and your risk of heart or lung disease in the future is dramatically increased.
  • Alcohol consumption: Drinking too much alcohol will raise your blood pressure over time. Alcohol also has a lot of calories which can cause you to put on weight.
  • Being overweight: Being overweight increases your risk of high blood pressure due to excess weight increasing the effort for the heart and increases your cholesterol levels. The more overweight and the more inactive you are, the greater your risk.

What We Offer

  • Leisure
  • Lessons and Courses
  • Libraries
  • Spa Experience
  • Venue Hire
  • Children's Centres

Contact & Support

  • Help Centre
  • Contact Us
  • Media Enquiries
  • Terms and Policies
  • Sitemap

About Us

  • Our Story
  • Being a Charitable Social Enterprise
  • News
  • Careers
  • GLL Corporate Website
  • GLL Sport Foundation

Download app

download google_play_badge

Let's get social

  • Facebook.com/better
  • Youtube
  • @better_uk

Better is a registered trademark and trading name of GLL (Greenwich Leisure Limited), a charitable social enterprise and registered society under the Co-operative & Community Benefit & Societies Act 2014 registration no. 27793R. Registered office: Middlegate House, The Royal Arsenal, London, SE18 6SX. Inland Revenue Charity no: XR43398.

Certified Social Enterprise Certified Social Enterprise
Launch Recite Me assistive technology

Accessibility