IT sounds so obvious that it's surprising it hasn't happened before. For the first time, however, the Health Education Board for Scotland is liaising with the Scottish Sports Council, local authorities, and urban planners to offer the public a holistic approach to health and fitness.

With the backing of Scottish Health Minister Sam Galbraith, HEBS wants to bring fitness into our everyday lives, and to stress that it is not all about fancy sports facilities but about simple things like walking to work. Sandy Whitelaw of HEBS says that, to date, diet has had a high profile in trying to improve the nation's health, but physical activity seems to have been given a lower priority. As exercise is a vital component of a healthy lifestyle, the individual bodies want to come together as a coalition to create the best climate for us to become a top sporting nation, as well as a fit and healthy one.

Instead of resources being duplicated, they will now be pooled, and elite sports will be interconnected with all kinds of fitness activities. A quarter of men and women in Scotland have been classified through research as ''inactive''. This is what the new coalition seeks to change.

RESEARCH carried out by a painkiller manufacturer suggests nearly two thirds of Scots suffer from tension headache. According to

the survey, the number

of sufferers has risen sharply in Britain as a whole, from 43% in 1993 to 63% in 1998.

A quarter of respondents said tension headache, often characterised by a vice-like grip around the head and pain in the neck and shoulders, restricted social life. Almost three-quarters said they were more irritable and depressed as a result. Tension headache could in some instances last for days if untreated.

The product Syndol, which is available at the pharmacy, contains two painkillers, paracetamol and codeine, to relieve the head pain, plus Doxylamine Succinate, a muscle

relaxer, all of which are said to break the tension headache cycle.

More natural remedies include a balanced healthy diet in which caffeine and alcohol are kept to a minimum, exercise,

screen breaks for those who work at VDUs, and relaxation remedies such

as aromatherapy, reflexology, yoga, and a walk in the park.

THE Sleep Council possibly has yet another remedy for tension headache. A good night's sleep is vital to health, and its guidelines, endorsed by the Consumers' Association, are to check out your bed if you have had it for more than 10 years, to make sure it gives enough support but is not too firm, and to check with your doctor about the type of bed you should have (hard or softer) if you have a health problem such as lower back pain. Try out beds before you buy. They can be costly, but skimping on the price can cost our health dearly.

JAN de Vries's new herbal tea from Bioforce is a blend of 15 herbs, including peppermint leaves, lavender flowers, and passion flower herb. Designed to have a reviving and cleansing effect, it is caffeine-free and safe to drink as often as you wish. Available from Forrest and Niven Health Foods in Dundas Street, Glasgow, it costs #1.55p for 30 bags.

SCOTS who claim it is too expensive to eat healthily should perhaps eat their words in view of research from Europe's poorest country. Albania has one of the highest adult life expectancies despite poverty and a stressful political situation.

A report in the medical journal The Lancet suggests this is because they eat very little meat and dairy produce but lots of fruit, vegetables, carbohydrates, and olive oil. They drink little alcohol and there are few smokers, and because they can't afford cars, they are fit and active. Of course, nothing is as simple as it seems.

Research shows the poor in wealthier countries like the UK have the least healthy diets because they do not have the same access to fresh fruit and vegetables as a nation like Albania. If Scots on low incomes were able to buy economically priced fruit and vegetables in shops located within walking distance of their homes, they perhaps would have a greater chance of reaching a riper old age.

Marian Pallister