What You Must Know About Exercising

We all know that exercise is important in our daily lives, but we may not know why or what exercise can do for us. Doing regular exercise improves your overall level of health, fitness and wellbeing.

If you are regularly physically active, you may:

reduce your risk of a heart attack
manage your weight better
have a lower blood cholesterol level
have lower blood pressure
have stronger bones, muscles and joints lower your risk of falls
recover better from period of hospitalisation or bed rest
feel better – with more energy, a better mood, feel more relaxed and sleep better.
Have a healthier state of mind. A number of studies have found that exercise helps depression.
Exercise may block negative thoughts or distract people from daily worries.
Increased fitness through exercise can lift your mood and improve sleep patterns.

Recommendation
To maintain health and reduce your risk of health problems, health professionals and researchers recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days.

Ways to increase activity
Increases in daily activity can come from small changes made throughout your day, such as walking instead of using the car

Things to remember
Aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day.
See everyday activities as a good opportunity to be active.
Try to find the time for some regular, vigorous exercise for extra health and fitness benefits.
Minimise the amount of time spent in prolonged sitting and break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.

Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you currently do no physical activity, start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended amount.