HEALTH experts are calling on residents to get running and exercising more this New Year to help cut their risk of suffering a stroke.

Professor Tom Robinson, a leading Professor of Stroke Medicine at the University of Leicester, is encouraging people young and old to don their training gear and take part in exercise that could save their lives, ahead of a charity run in Prestwich this April.

The Resolution Run, organised by the Stroke Association, will take place at Heaton Park on April 7, and is one of 34 events taking place across the UK throughout the year

Entrants can choose their distance from 5km, 10km and 15km, and all cash raised will support research and people affected by stroke.

According to Prof. Robinson, who is also the President of the British Association of Stroke Physicians, training and taking part in the run could significantly reduce your stroke risk.

Highlighting a recent overview of research, Prof. Robinson noted that moderate to intense activities that break you out into a sweat, ranging from walking to jogging and cycling, can cut your risk of stroke by 20 per cent.

Professor Robinson said: “You don’t have to be an athlete to reduce your stroke risk, we can all do it as part of our daily routine. Simply taking part in at least 30 minutes of activity, which helps you break a sweat about three to four times a week will help. Remember, the more you do, the more you can reduce your risk.

The preparation for and taking part in a Resolution Run could reduce your stroke risk.

"However, it is equally important to remember that you need to maintain this level of exercise to keep your stroke risk low. If you start small, training in short bursts and build up you are more likely to succeed and keep going in the long term too.”

However Professor Robinson and his colleagues are also seeking to remind people that physical activity is just one necessary part of a healthy lifestyle required to cut your risk of stroke.

To help keep your risk low the Stroke Association advises that people also avoid gaining excess body weight, smoking, drinking too much alcohol, and eating an unhealthy diet.

Entry to the resolution run is £16 and all entrants receive a t-shirt and a medal.

To enter or for more information visit visit www.resolutionrun.org.uk email resolution@stroke.org.uk or call 0300 330 0740.