Sport England is issuing a rallying call to the East Midlands with the launch of a major new campaign designed to get people active.

The Everyday Sport campaign - which is backed by politicians, sports stars, and organisations across the country - encourages people to build physical activity and sport into their everyday lives. The campaign is set to get England moving in the battle against obesity and in the countdown to London 2012.

Everyday Sport in the East Midlands was launched at the National Water Sports Centre at Holme Pierrepont, Nottingham by Jody Bunting and Lisa Evans.

Jody from Derbyshire used to weigh 31 stone. While losing 19 stone, he was the fitness expert on Channel 4’s The Big Breakfast, taught participants to dance on Channel 4’s the Fit Farm and held fitness classes across Derby.

Lisa from Nottingham used to weigh over 18 stone. Now, after losing 7 stone she has qualified as a gym instructor and works at the Jesse Boot Wildcats Arena.

Everyday Sport goes live on the back of ongoing evidence from the Department of Health, which reveals that 77% of women and 64% of men in the East Midlands are not doing the recommended amount of activity for a healthy life (30 minutes five times a week).

Research conducted by YouGov and commissioned by Sport England to mark the launch of Everyday Sport, has also uncovered some staggering facts - 65% of people in the East Midlands would like to do more sport and active recreation but do not get round to it.

In fact, 32% of people in the East Midlands spend more time in the shower/bath than exercising and a further 28% spend more time playing computer games than getting involved in sport/recreation. 9% spend more time doing their hair than taking part in exercise.

Top motivators for the region doing more exercise are better health (65%) and losing weight (66%), whilst 31% would exercise more if they thought it would improve their sex appeal and 26% would get involved to make new friends.

Other regional research reveals that the favourite room in the house for exercise is the lounge with 20%, closely followed by the garden (16%) and the bedroom (15%). Most popular unusual locations for exercise are the top of a mountain and underwater, both on 14% with 3% limbering up in church and 2% in the supermarket. Nationally, summer is the most popular season with 22%, morning is the favourite time of the day with 27% and weekends are the best time of the week for getting active.

The Everyday Sport campaign is all about small steps making a big difference. Everyday Sport can mean different things to different people, from taking the stairs instead of the lift or getting off the bus a stop early to joining a sports club or registering for an exercise class.

Sport England has been set a target by Government of increasing participation in sport and physical activity by 3% in the next three years. Everyday Sport is the first major initiative in this long-term plan.

International studies demonstrate that long terms campaigns hold the key to increasing participation in physical activity and sport. In countries such as Finland, Canada and Germany, the combination of high quality facilities, significant investment in clubs, coaches and volunteers, underpinned by campaigning and performance measurement, has increased participation.

Everyday Sport already has the support of more than 60 famous faces from the worlds of politics, celebrity and sport, including Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell, Sports Minister Richard Caborn, Rio Ferdinand, James Cracknell, Jonny Wilkinson, Steve Cram, sports commentating legend Barry Davies, Jonathan Edwards, Nell McAndrew, Donna Air and Jayne Middlemiss.

The Everyday Sport campaign will be supported by TV and radio advertising – focused initially in London, the South East and the North East of England; a phone line to help motivate people to get active and help them find out where they can take part in sport and physical activity; and marketing, PR and on-line activity.

The national launch follows a hugely successful four-month pilot in the North East last year where 5% of the population were inspired to get active as a result of the campaign. The North East was chosen for the four-month pilot last year as it has some of the lowest levels of participation in physical activity and sport in the country and some poorest health statistics. The intention among people of the North East to get active went up 7% following Everyday Sport.

The YouGov research reveals there is a lot of work to be done elsewhere, as the nation prepares for London 2012.

Tessa Jowell, Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport commented on the launch of Everyday Sport:“You don’t have to be Kelly Holmes or Matthew Pinsent to get fit and stay fit.

“This campaign highlights practical, achievable ways for us all to build physical activity into our daily lives – whether it’s getting off the bus a stop early, or taking the stairs instead of the lift. And, for the first time ever in this country, we are launching a sport and activity helpline – a database of information, which people can access via their telephone. This means that finding ways to get active and play sport are only a phone call away. Our goal is to help more people get active by offering them the tools to do that.”

Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England, said: “Independent research confirmed the effectiveness of the Everyday Sport campaign and presented us with a powerful case for now taking Everyday Sport nationwide. Campaigns of this nature are an absolute priority for Sport England in helping us to increase participation in sport and physical activity.”

“Everyday Sport has already reached hundreds of thousands of people in the North East, with powerful messages about how they can become more active in many different ways, and that it can be simple and fun. We are now working with organisations – from hospitals and GP surgeries to local authorities, libraries and businesses – across the country to roll-out Everyday Sport.”

He added: “Taking part in physical activity and sport has a whole range of benefits – from losing weight and dramatically improving your health to beating stress or simply helping you to feel more confident and making your smile.

“So many campaigns tell people what they shouldn’t be doing – don’t smoke, don’t eat too much salt, don’t drink and drive. Everyday Sport is quite unusual in that it is positive, telling people what they can do”.

To find out how you can incorporate Everyday Sport into your lives, to find out where you can take up a new sport or activity or for more information about the campaign, log on to the Everyday Sport web site or call the Everyday Sport hotline: 0800 587 6000.