Occupational Health Service

Are you ready for fitness in your life?

If you aren't in the habit of being physically active, you're probably being told you should start. That's because being physically active can help reduce some of the dangerous risk factors of heart disease and diabetes, such as high cholesterol and blood pressure. Certain exercise activities on a regular basis can also help you lose weight. The time to start is now!

Finding the time to create a healthy, active lifestyle and do regular physical activity can be a barrier to many people. Our modern lifestyle and the conveniences we have become used to have made us sedentary. People need to be active to be healthy.

Incorporating physical activity or exercise into your life may be one of the best things you can do for your health. Physical activity can reduce your risk of chronic disease, improve your balance and coordination, help you lose weight - even improve your sleep habits and self-esteem. Physical activity refers to any body movement that burns calories, such as mowing the lawn, walking upstairs, vacuuming, walking the dog, etc. Exercise is a more structured form of physical activity and involves a series of repetitive movements to strengthen your body and improve cardiovascular fitness, e.g. cycling and swimming.

The benefits of physical activity/exercise:
Healthy living provides a great many benefits, so there is no reason to put that healthier lifestyle off any longer. Getting physical activity into your daily routine, combined with healthy eating is the best way to get both short and long-term benefits for your life. Here are some of the benefits of exercise to health:

• Assists in weight control
• Tones the body
• Strengthens muscles and improves posture
• Improves joint mobility
• Can lower cholesterol and blood sugar levels
• Improves cardiovascular system
• Helps lower blood pressure
• Helps prevent osteoporosis
• Improves balance and coordination
• Improves sleep
• Longer life expectancy
• Reduces stress and tension
• Builds sense of well-being and improves self-confidence

How much is enough?
In order to achieve an active lifestyle, adults should accumulate at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week. It needn't all be done in one go though! Physical activity can be built up over time. Develop an active lifestyle piece by piece - small chunks of moderate activity throughout the day, over time, will add up to a more active, healthier lifestyle.

How do I get started?

Reading this article is your first step. Planning to start is the gateway for many people to a more active lifestyle. You don't need a grand plan, just motivation. First, look at your daily routine and see what physical activity you already do and what improvements you can make for a healthier lifestyle.

An easy way to begin is to take the active option rather than the inactive option. For example, use the stairs rather than the lift. At work, achieving a healthier lifestyle could mean taking a short walk at lunchtime, or walking part or all of the way to work. You could get off the bus a couple of stops earlier and walk the rest of the way.

Give yourself plenty of time to warm up and cool down with easy walking or gentle stretching. Then speed up to a pace you can continue for 5 to 10 minutes without getting overly tired. As your stamina improves, increase the amount of time you exercise by 1 to 5 minutes per session.

At this stage, you're really just starting to build physical activity into your daily routine. These small healthy living changes can really make a difference to the way you feel. You should start to feel less tired and stressed and more alert throughout the day.

It is important to remember that prior to taking up an exercise programme, you should consult your family doctor in relation to your current health status and what you should and shouldn't be doing.

Keeping Going
After working so hard to incorporate physical activity into your daily life, you don't want to lose all the benefits gained by this. Gradually increasing the level of your physical activities should feel like a natural progression. Maintain this level of progression as you try to increase the amount of activities you're already doing. Use your weekends to take part in local activities and leisure activities.

As you increase your physical activity, you may want to consider taking part in sports or exercises such as swimming, cycling or an exercise class. You can be indoors, outdoors, on your own or in a group. There's bound to be plenty of local activities you can take part in. A good place to start these kinds of physical activities is the local leisure centre. Finding a sport you enjoy is a great motivator for keeping up regular physical activity.

Increasing your physical activity or starting an exercise programme doesn't have to be an overwhelming task. By planning carefully and pacing yourself, you can establish a healthy habit that lasts a lifetime.

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