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Exercise for health
Many people think that to benefit from exercise you need to be running 5 miles a day, or spending 30 minutes at an aerobics class three times a week, or lifting weights at the gym every day. Although these are all excellent targets, if you do not take any regular exercise then as little as 30 minutes brisk walking a day can bring considerable health benefits (and 3 x 10 minute walks are just as good as 1 x 30 minute walk)
I'm young and slim, why bother to exercise now?
- regular exercise reduces the risk of life-threatening and life-limiting illness in your 40s and 50s, for example: heart disease, stroke, some cancers, osteoporosis
- exercise helps to release chemicals and hormones that combat stress, anxiety, and mild depression
- exercise will help keep your body at a healthy weight
How do I know I'm exercising effectively?
There are two key elements to exercising effectively:
- as a minimum the exercise should leave you mildly out of breath, and make you sweat slightly
- the exercise should be regular, for example: a 2 hour bike ride once a week is good, but not as beneficial as 3 shorter rides spread across the week
As mentioned already brisk walking qualifies, but of course the more vigorous the exercise the better
It is important not to set your targets too high when you first start to exercise - don't decide to take up jogging and then be upset because you cannot run 3 miles on your first outing. Build gradually, whichever exercise you take up, and remember that if the exercise is new to you then you may have some aches and pains the next day which will be eased with paracetamol, or ibuprofen
View a flyer about the 8 week 10% Course
, a friendly group programme run by NHS Leeds Community Healthcare Weight Management Service that helps people to make lasting dietary and activity changes with an aim to lose weight
Source: LSMP
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