Revealed at last: the secret of how sitting in front of a computer can make you fit.

Now, not even the laziest of web users will have any excuse.

Instead, typing in the easy-to-remember address of an innovative new website will lead them to thousands of locations across England where they can shed pounds and become healthier and fitter.

Active Places is a ground-breaking new online database of facilities including sports halls, swimming pools, synthetic pitches, health and fitness centres and ski slopes.

Active Places will be the authoritative source of information for sport and recreation facilities in England. It is run by Sport England and has been backed by more than £5m of lottery money from Sport England and the Big Lottery Fund. The database can be searched free of charge at www.activeplaces.com.

Tessa Jowell said:

“I am really delighted that Active Places is up and running. We want to make it easier for children and adults alike to discover the wealth of sports facilities near to them – and this is the perfect way to do it.  Now no-one has an excuse for not going down to their sports centre or club to become healthier.

“We call it our Domesday Book for sport, because, like the first one nearly a thousand years ago, it tells you exactly what there is and where, the whole length of England.

Roger Draper, Chief Executive of Sport England said:

“One of our main objectives is to increase participation in sport and physical activity. Active Places is an excellent example of how we are proactively working to achieve this goal through providing information on where people can get active and engaged in all different types of sport.”

Stephen Dunmore, Chief Executive of the Big Lottery Fund said:

“The Big Lottery Fund has provided funding for thousands of sports facilities, both large and small around the country. Active Places will be an invaluable tool, enabling even more users to access these facilities, have fun and get fit. It will also help us all to make sensible decisions about future needs and how they might be met.

The first phase of the launch involves the site going live at the London Youth Games. Thousands of young people competing at the event have the opportunity to be the first Active Places web users at a special interactive stand in the sports complex.

Active Places already has more than 10,000 registered locations. During the next year new types of sports facilities will be added, including those on school premises. A special interactive tool will also be added to help local authorities and governing bodies plan where to invest in new facilities.

Click here to visit Active Places and find out where you can get active