Everybody, regardless of age, shape, size and ability needs to become more active every day. We should all be moving more. Did you know that an active life is essential for physical and mental health and well being?
Regular physical activity will help reduce our risk of cancer and type 2 diabetes as well as conditions such as obesity, high blood pressure and depression. The quality of life and the chance of everyone to remain safe and independent increase at any age.
We know that technology allows us to stay at work and at home for a long time. More often than walking or riding, or using lifts instead of stairs, we do use motorized transportation.
To be successful in our health and well-being, exercise does not allow us to engage in physical activity. We will aim at engaging at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per week, in 10 minutes or more, according to the recommendations of the Chief Medical Officer of the United Kingdom. However, fewer than 30 minutes of physical activity per week was conducted on over one in every four women, and on one in five men. In fact, the fourth biggest cause of disease and disability in Great Britain is physical inactivity.
Thirty minutes a day
Your 150 minutes could be made up of 5 x 30 minute sessions during the week.
- Thirty minutes of moderate aerobic activity could be met by going for a brisk walk, a swim, or gardening.
- The recommendations can also be met through doing more, shorter sessions of at least 10 minutes each. Short activities can add up –just a couple of ten minute brisk walks a day can get you well on your way to meeting the recommendations.
- Involve friends and family to make activities more fun, sociable and enjoyable. Go jogging with a friend and support and motivate each other, take the children swimming or join an exercise class.
How can we become more active in our daily life?
With our limited time , something can be done every day by making exercise a part of our life: take advantage of short walk on foot or by bike and do whatever we can to satisfy.Sport can be far more than formal exercise, though it is part of the picture.
Physical activity does not need to be strenuous to be effective. Small and simple changes can make a difference to a healthier you and help you get more active.
Walking
walking is a perfect way to take on physical exercise, you don’t need any special equipment. It’s better for your safety than using a vehicle, but it’s better for your climate. Find ways to include exercise and getting used to exercise in your everyday routine. By pacing your walks and using a pedometer you can set yourself a target – you can take 1,000 steps in about 10 minutes. Take a closer look and seek to increase the daily average. 10,000 steps on five or more days a week are a fantastic accomplishment and help you fulfill the goals for your activities.
Here are some ideas to incorporate walking into everyday life:
Walking as your means of active transport
Walking is a reliable form of transport- it always takes the same amount of time!
Why not try
- Walking to the shops – If you don’t live too far away from your local shops, walk instead of driving. Carrying your heavy shopping bags home could count as one of your strength exercises too!
- Walking part of your journey to work – why not get off the bus a stop earlier or park further away.
- Using the stairs instead of the lift.
- Leaving the car behind for short journeys.
- Walking the kids to school – do the school run on foot, if logistically possible!
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