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Active Lifestyle
Being physically active is an important part
of leading a healthy lifestyle. At any age physical activity
provides a range of health benefits. And the good news is activity
doesn't have to be vigorous - moderate activity, such as brisk
walking, is great for your health! The Heart Foundation and other
leading authorities recommend at least 30 minutes of
moderate-intensity physical activity on all or most days of the
week. This can be accumulated in bouts of ten minutes or more if
this is more convenient.
Once you get fitter, and train for triathlon
you will find that you enjoy physical activity for 1 to 2 hours per
day, and some days you may even fit in a bit more action!
If you are new to exercise;
talk to your doctor
start slowly and dont overdo it or you will
get really sore or possibly injure yourself
Tips for including more physical activity in your
day
Increases in daily activity
can come from small changes made throughout your day – they all add
up. You can accumulate your 30 minutes (or more) of physical
activity for health throughout the day by combining a few shorter
sessions of activity of around 10 to 15 minutes each.
To make a habit out of increasing activity in
your day, you can:
 Take
the stairs instead of the lift
Park
further away from your destination and walk the rest of the way
Walk
or cycle instead of using the car for short trips
Take
your dog (or a neighbour’s dog) for a walk
Walk
rather than rest on escalators or travelators
Get
off the bus/train/tram one or two stops earlier and walk the rest of
the way
Work
in the garden
Play
with children in an active way
Catch up with friends by walking together rather than going for
coffee.
Try
a new sport or go back to one you have played before.
Do
some simple exercises (eg jog on the spot) while waiting for the
kettle to boil or for food to cook in the microwave
To achieve extra health
benefits, or to increase fitness, you will also need to add regular
vigorous activity to your routine on three or four days a week, for
a minimum of around 30 minutes. Vigorous activity will make you
“huff and puff” (eg where talking in full sentences between breaths
is difficult), and includes activities such as squash, football,
aerobics, circuit training, speed walking, jogging, fast cycling or
brisk rowing. This type of activity will also help to maintain a
healthy weight.
Stick with your new healthy living
resolutions
The heart foundation healthy living top tips
for sticking with healthy living resolutions are:
1. Try
switching to reduced fat milk instead of full fat milk, ditching the
cakes or biscuits for morning tea and choosing a piece of fruit or
opting for wholegrain bread instead of white.
2.
Look for ways to build physical activity into your day. Walk
or ride a bike instead of driving. If you must drive, park
further away and walk the extra distance rather than driving around
for the perfect park, or take a break during the day and go for a 15
minute walk.
3.
Review the changes you’ve made and note how you are feeling.
Changes should be long term so it’s important to be enjoying your
life and feeling good about yourself.
4.
Keep going with your changes – it’s normal to have days when it all
becomes too hard, but don’t worry about it. Just keep going
with your changes the next day.
Physical activity and health
The US Surgeon general reports offer a good
basic guideline for healthy living. Our government and health
professionals refer to these reports for guidance on health issues,
trends and recommendations for government health campaigns and
initiatives. For example: Physical exercise need not be strenuous to
achieve health benefits. If you are interested to read more please
click on the following links:
adolescents and young adults
adults
women
older adults
persons with disabilities
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