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Physical activity

Published by Bupa's health information team, July 2009.

This factsheet is for people who would like information about the health benefits of physical activity.

Keeping physically active can prevent major illnesses and is the basis for a healthier lifestyle. The UK government recommends that adults aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on five or more days of the week and that children and young people do 60 minutes every day.

• About the benefits of exercise
• Types of activity
• Physical activity targets
• Get motivated
• Achieve your goals
• Stay motivated
• Exercise and illness
• Questions and answers
• Related topics
• Related Bupa products and services
• Further information
• Sources

About the benefits of exercise

Physical activity can halve your risk of developing many major illnesses, and substantially reduce the risk of premature death.

Evidence shows that regular exercise can:

• halve your risk of getting type 2 diabetes
• help to control diabetes and prevent long-term complications if you already have the condition
• halve your risk of developing coronary heart disease
• increase levels of HDL ('good' cholesterol)
• reduce high blood pressure
• promote bone density to protect against osteoporosis
• have beneficial effects if you have arthritis and lower back pain
• reduce your overall risk of cancer, prevent bowel cancer and reduce the risk of breast cancer in women after the menopause
• help to maintain a healthy weight in combination with a balanced diet
• reduce the risk of death or poor health if you're already overweight or obese
• reduce your risk of depression and dementia in later life
• treat depression
• help you to feel better about yourself and reduce stress
• improve your sleep
• help to promote healthy growth and development in children, as well as maintaining their energy balance, psychological wellbeing and social interaction

Types of activity

Many people believe that only vigorous exercise or playing sport counts as healthy activity. However, you can get considerable health benefits from regular activity without needing special equipment or sporting ability or having to get very hot and sweaty.

The key is that you aim to do at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity on five or more days of the week. The signs that you're doing moderate intensity activity are:

• an increase in your breathing rate
• an increase in your heart rate to a point where you can feel your pulse
• feeling warm

You should still be able to talk without panting in between your words.

Physical activity targets

It's possible to achieve your target by making fairly simple changes to your everyday routine without needing to join the gym or run a marathon.

Moderate intensity physical activity such as brisk walking, or doing household chores such as painting, vacuuming and mowing the lawn, all count and are enough to benefit your health.

Examples of everyday activities that count include:

• walking up stairs instead of using lifts
• walking up moving escalators
• walking instead of driving for short journeys or getting off the bus one or two stops earlier than usual
• doing the housework at a quicker pace
• DIY and gardening

You can achieve your exercise target either by doing all the daily activity in one session or through several shorter bouts of activity of 10 minutes or more.

You can include everyday activities or structured exercise or sport, or a combination of these. Adapt your weekly routine to fit in with your own personal circumstances - some ways of doing this are described below.

• Walk or cycle to work daily.
• Take all opportunities to be active - use the stairs, do manual tasks.
• Play a sport, go to the gym or go swimming two to three times during the week.
• At the weekend take longer walks, go for a bike ride, go swimming, play a team sport or do some DIY or gardening.

Children and young people need to do 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity every day. This should include at least two weekly activities that produce high physical stress on bones, such as dancing, jumping or aerobics. This is important for aiding development.

Some ways in which children can include physical activity into their weekly routine are described here.

• If possible, walking to and from school every day.
• Being active every day in school breaks and clubs - playing in a group activity or running around with friends.
• Getting involved in three to four afternoon or evening play opportunities.
• At the weekend, taking longer walks, going to the park or swimming pool, or going for a bike ride. This is also a good opportunity for the whole family to enjoy exercising together.

Get motivated

Keep fit

Your ability to keep going with physical activity, such as jogging, racket sports, cycling or swimming, is related to your aerobic fitness or stamina.

Generally speaking, the greater your stamina, the greater the health benefits. If you want to improve your stamina, it's important to start gently, increasing how often you do activity before increasing how hard you exercise.

Have fun

There are many activities you could take part in to increase your stamina. Not everyone sees exercise as fun and doing something you find boring, just because it's good for you, is very difficult to sustain. However, you can take steps to make it more enjoyable.

• Try out different sports or activities until you find something you like, such as a dance or aerobics class.
• Join a team or club where you could meet new friends, for example a local football team or a sport you haven't tried before.
• Activities that you can do as a family or with friends may help with motivation. When you find an activity you like, exercise at a pace that still allows you to talk.
• Try to go somewhere different and exercise outside such as in a forest, a beach or a park.
• Make sure you vary your activity so you don't get bored.

Achieve your goals

Even if you usually enjoy exercising, it's likely there will be days when you can't find the motivation to get active. Here are some practical tips to help keep up your enthusiasm.

• Keep a diary that highlights the sport or activity you do. For example, note how far you ran or the match score, your pulse rate or how you felt. That way you can look back and see how you have improved over time.
• Collect inspiration and stick quotes from coaches, athletes or anyone successful around your house or office. Inspirational stories from people who have achieved against the odds may help - if they can do it, so can you.
• Set yourself some short- and long-term goals. Success will provide you with a sense of satisfaction and further motivation to keep up the new lifestyle. Keep your goals specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time-based (SMART). For example, rather than saying you will get fit by summer, start by setting the more specific goal of going to a one-hour aerobics or yoga class each week.

Stay motivated

When it comes to staying motivated long-term, it's just as important to train your brain as it is to train your body. Here are a few ideas to help you.

• A great way to stay focused is to keep reminding yourself of the reasons you started exercising in the first place. This may include losing excess weight, improving your health or testing yourself in a competition or race.
• Picture yourself achieving your goal, such as completing a race or fitting into smaller jeans, and imagine what it will feel like. Visualising these images and feelings will motivate you and help you achieve them for real.
• Exercise releases chemicals called endorphins in the brain. These have a strong effect on your mood, helping to reduce anxiety, stress and depression. So whenever you don't feel like exercising, try to remind yourself how good you'll feel afterwards.

Exercise and illness

If you have a medical condition and are concerned that you may hurt yourself exercising, talk to your GP. He or she may provide simple guidance on the benefits and types of activity that you can do safely.

Related topics

• Bowel cancer
• Coronary heart disease
• Depression
• Healthy weight for adults
• High cholesterol
• Looking after your heart
• Osteoporosis
• Type 2 diabetes

Further information

• Department of Health
  www.dh.gov.uk
• Change4Life
  0300 123 4567
  www.nhs.uk/change4life

Sources

• Be active, be healthy: a plan for getting the nation moving. Department of Health. www.dh.gov.uk, 2009
• Keeping active. Diabetes UK. www.diabetes.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Physical activity and your heart. British Heart Foundation. www.bhf.org.uk, 2005
• Healthy bones. National Osteoporosis Society. www.nos.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Keeping active. Arthritis Care. www.arthritiscare.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Physical activity. Cancer Research UK. www.cancerresearchuk.org, accessed 23 February 2009
• Exercise and depression. Mental Health Foundation. www.mentalhealth.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Why be active? British Heart Foundation. www.bhf.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Government plan - get millions moving. Department of Health. www.dh.gov.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• At least five a week. Evidence on the impact of physical activity and its relationship to health. A report from the Chief Medical Officer. Department of Health, 2004. www.dh.gov.uk www.dh.gov.uk, 2004
• Frequently asked questions (FAQ's) about exercise and depression. Mental Health Foundation. www.mentalhealth.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009 www.mentalhealth.org.uk, accessed 23 February 2009
• Four commonly used methods to increase physical activity: brief interventions in primary care, exercise referral schemes, pedometers and community-based exercise programmes for walking and cycling. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), www.nice.org.uk, March 2006
• Promoting physical activity, active play and sport for pre-school and school-age children and young people in family, pre-school, school and community settings. National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE), www.nice.org.uk, January 2009

This information was published by Bupa's health information team and is based on reputable sources of medical evidence. It has been peer reviewed by Bupa doctors. The content is intended for general information only and does not replace the need for personal advice from a qualified health professional.

Publication date: July 2009