What is free, easy
to take, makes you feel good and can reduce your risk of major illnesses?
EXERCISE!
I love this quote
I found on the NHS website by Dr Nick Cavill a health promotion consultant “If
exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever
invented”. If we think about this the majority of us take all sorts of
medication recommended by doctors, even “self-prescribed” medication
(supplements, cold/flu/headache pills, etc) so why don’t we exercise?!
Whatever your age,
there's strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you
lead a healthier and even happier life. There is significant research which
demonstrates people who do regular activity have a lower risk of many chronic
diseases, such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers.
Physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality
and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression and dementia,
by boosting brain power (specifically
the ability to carry out tasks that require attention, organization and
planning).
The target for good health and to help with weight
control is to do at least 30 minutes of 'moderate-intensity' activity
on at least 5 days of the week. 'Moderate-intensity' means
being active enough so that your breathing and heart rate is faster than normal
and you're feeling warm. Aim to be breathless but not speechless - you should
still be able to talk while exercising! If not, slow down, you may be overdoing
it.
You don't have to do your 30 minutes all in one go
either; two lots of 15 minutes, or even three lots of 10 minute bursts of
activity may be just as effective as 30 minutes of continuous activity. If you
are only just starting to exercise once you get a bit fitter gradually build
this up to 60 minutes if you can. Aim to be as active as possible as often as
you can; any amount of physical activity is better than none at all and if
you're already active your health will benefit from doing more.
There
are two types of exercise:
Cardiovascular (aerobic) exercise includes anything that works your heart and
lungs, such as brisk walking, jogging, swimming and cycling.
Resistance (weight) training includes the use of weights and machines (or
your own body weight) and is good for toning muscles and building up strength.
It's good to include both types for overall
fitness, strength and health.
The most important thing when it comes to exercise is to do something
that you ENJOY.
I love exercising but please don’t ask me to run for an hour on the treadmill
or lift weights in a gym looking at myself in the mirror!
Of course choosing the type of exercise also depends on what results you
want to achieve; here I am just going to focus on ways to add or increase
physical activity into your day to day lifestyle, I will not be focusing on
specific exercise to achieve particular results.
Why not see if a friend wants to take up a new hobby or sport with you?
If you have somebody else to go with then you are more likely to keep it up
(and not let the other person down!). You could also involve the whole family;
make a point of doing an outdoor activity every weekend.
There a range of things to do:
·
Join a local gym and take part
in fitness classes. Most gyms offer a wide range of high intense cardio and
lower intense (e.g. yoga) classes. Chose the right one for you and as well as
great exercise you may well meet likeminded people.
·
Buy a pair of trainers and take
up running; challenge yourself to do a target distance run (please be aware if
you are inexperienced it is advisable to seek guidance off personal trainers/
qualified instructors). If you are a
little more experience there are great 5K, 10K, ½ marathon running plans and
tips on the NHS website and the BUPA website.
·
Involve a friend and challenge
each other to tennis and/or squash matches – a great way to work up a sweat,
burn calories and build up some healthy competition.
·
Take up swimming – most Councils
have a leisure centre with reduced fees for locals. Swimming is a great “all
over” body workout and after why not reward yourself with a relaxing session in
the Jacuzzi or sauna?
·
Take up dancing. Dancing is incredibly
fun and is probably the form of exercise where we don’t actually realise we are
exercising. There are numerous styles to choose from so why not try a few
different classes and decide which one you prefer. It is also an activity which
you can involve friends, your partner and your children in and it will also
give you the opportunity to show off your new skills the next time you’re out.
·
Cycling is also a great sport
(one of my favourites). You can go further than running and it’s a great family
activity but also a great means of exploring new areas. Like anything you can make
it as intense as you like.
If you struggle to fit in exercise into your daily routine every day,
then you can make the following simple DAILY
swaps to help increase your physical activity levels:
·
ALWAYS take the STAIRS and not
the lift/elevator/escalator
·
Make a rule that if a car
journey is going to be 5 minutes or less, to walk it
·
Park your car further away at
work or at the shops or get off 1 or 2 bus stops early
·
During the weekend go for a walk
in the park.
·
During your lunch hour try and
not spend it all at your desk, get up and go for a walk.
·
If you’re meeting friends for a
“coffee catch-up” change this into a “walking catch-up” – you’ll get the
chit-chat benefits as well as exercise benefits.
·
Take up gardening; this actually
burns more calories than you think and you’ll also benefit from being outdoors.
A common excuse for not exercising is lack of time. We are all creatures
of habit and routine. When you take up exercise try and go at a similar time
the same days of the week; after a while it will become part of your routine
just like working 9 – 5, brushing your teeth, meeting our friends at the pub and
you won’t be able to do without it J
30 minutes of exercise is only
2% or your day – no excuses!
So what are you going to do this weekend? You AREN'T going to sit you are going TO GET UP and EXERCISE and GET FIT.
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