Do you know the benefits physical activity has on your health and wellbeing?
Advise that being active for just 10 minutes a day, such as a brisk walk, can boost your energy, clear your head and lift your mood.
Healthcare professionals may find these infographics helpful to explain why and how people should stay more active: Click Here
What physical activities do you enjoy doing?
If they are struggling to think of things, ideas of everyday physical activities can include gardening, going for a brisk walk, cycling and playing with your kids - these all count.
Advise that small changes can make a big difference including parking a bit further away, getting off the bus a stop earlier or taking the stairs instead of the escalator.
What counts as physical activity?
Any of the activities we do throughout the day that involve movement — housework, gardening, walking, climbing stairs — are examples of physical activity.
Exercise is a specific form of physical activity — planned, purposeful physical activity performed with the intention of acquiring fitness or other health benefits.
You've been told you are inactive or sedentary. Do you know what that means?
Inactivity is described by the Department of Health and Social Care as a "silent killer". Evidence is emerging that sedentary behaviour, such as sitting or lying down for long periods, is bad for your health.
Not only should you try to raise your activity levels, but you should also reduce the amount of time you and your family spend sitting down.
Common examples of sedentary behaviour include watching TV, using a computer, using the car for short journeys and sitting down to read, talk or listen to music. This type of behaviour is thought to increase your risk of developing many chronic diseases, such as heart disease, stroke and type 2 diabetes, as well as weight gain and obesity.
For more hints and tips visit Moving Medicine:
The ultimate resource to help healthcare professionals integrate physical activity conversations into routine clinical care.
Visit - Click Here
Other useful regional services:
Top tips for fitness
- A weekly plan may help you to see where you can fit physical activity in
- Have a goal! What about couch to 5k or completing a Parkrun (see below)
- You may feel tired after a job sitting or standing all day, but may not have had the physical activity you need - reward your brain and physical health by doing an activity
- It’s never too late to start moving more, even small changes can make a big difference
What can 10 minutes do?
A brisk walk of 10 minutes a day can do wonders – it could help you deal with things like back pain, high blood pressure, feeling low or lacking energy. It can also reduce your risk of getting diabetes and cancer.
Benefits in children
- Builds confidence and improves social skills
- Gives children the opportunity to learn new skills and teaches them important life skills
- Strengthens muscles and bones
- Helps to develop coordination
- Enhances concentration and learning, which increases productivity and success
- Makes children feel good and elevates their mood
- Inspires positivity and encourages tolerance
- Helps to relieve stress and maintain mental and emotional wellbeing
- Improves sleep and energy levels
- Reduces the risk of morbidity and mortality from chronic non-communicable diseases
- Improves overall health and fitness and helps children maintain a healthy weight to prevent childhood obesity
Benefits in adults
Regular physical activity helps to maintain:
• healthy joints and muscles
• a healthy weight
• normal sleep
Regular physical activity also:
• reduces signs and symptoms of depression and anxiety
• can involve social interaction which may help to improve self-esteem
There is evidence that physical activity can reduce the risk of many of the most common diseases in the UK including:
• heart disease
• certain cancers, including breast and colon cancer
• type 2 diabetes
• osteoporosis (weak bones)
People living with a disability
- Reduce anxiety.
- Reduce feelings of stress.
- Encourage clearer thinking.
- Bring about a greater sense of calm.
- Increase self-esteem.
- Reduce risks of depression.
- Improve sleep.
People with long term health conditions
Physical activity is safe, even for people living with symptoms of multiple long-term conditions.
Regular physical activity, in combination with standard medical care, has an important role in the management and prevention of many long-term conditions.
People with long-term conditions are often fearful of worsening their condition or experiencing potentially undesired consequences from physical activity. In fact, when physical activity levels are increased gradually, the risk of serious adverse events is very low. Well informed, person-centred conversations with healthcare professionals can reassure people and further reduce this risk.
Better Health - Get Active
No matter how much you do, physical activity is good for your body and mind. Adults should aim to be active every day. Some is good – more is better still.
A daily brisk walk can boost your energy, lift your mood and make everyday activities easier.
Try these tools, tips and special offers to move more every day.
Active 10
The Active 10 app records every minute of walking you do (anonymously). Just pop your phone in your pocket and away you go!
Couch to 5K
Designed to get you off the couch and running in just 9 weeks.
Movement for All
We’ve developed a series of Physical Activity and Long Term Health Conditions Resource Packs aimed at the sport and physical activity sector, health and care organisations and the health and care workforce.
The packs highlight four things we can all do to make a difference along with useful information about physical inactivity and long term health conditions, and some tools and ideas on how to make changes in practice.
Parkrun
Free weekly 5k runs, open to all at their own pace in a park near you.
A Weight Off Your Mind (AWOYM)
A regional resource for those with a lived experience of serious mental illness and/or learning disability to achieve or maintain a healthy weight. A range of support materials are available in the North East and North Cumbria. AWOYM supports healthy eating, physical activity and behaviour change to improve health, life expectancy and quality of life. For further information please click the link below
Ways to Move
We are Undefeatable provides people with long term health conditions inspiration and ideas to get
active that works with each person’s condition, not against them.
Stronger My Way
Everything you need to know about strengthening activity. If you're a professional helping people to feel stronger will find the evidence base, links to training and resources, and a forum to share information and experiences.
And if you are looking to get stronger your way, there are videos, supporting resources and stories about people living with health conditions.
Easier to be active
One in three of us in England live with a health condition and we are twice as likely to be amongst the least physically active, yet we know that being active can help to manage our conditions and increase our quality and length of life.
Activity Alliance
Activity Alliance is the leading voice for disabled people in sport and activity.
We will close the gap between disabled people's level of inactivity and that of non-disabled people.
Disabled people participate in sport and activity less than non-disabled people and are also twice as likely to be inactive. We call this the fairness gap, and we aim to close this gap within a generation by focussing on these two key goals:
- Embedding inclusive practice into organisations
- Changing attitudes towards disabled people in sport and activity
We cannot do this alone and so; we are building a powerful movement to drive change.
Ramblers
Get active with Ramblers Wellbeing Walks. Our short group walks make it easier to start walking and stay active. Find your local Ramblers Wellbeing Walk.
Active Pregnancy Foundation
Our vision is to create a society where women are empowered to be physically active throughout their childbearing years in a way that works for them. For some women this may be sport, for others it involves exercise, but for most women this is physical activity. Regardless of their starting point, we aim to meet women where they are at and support them throughout that journey.