Keeping active is very important, not only for our physical health, but our mental health too. There is no doubt that being active is one of the best things you can do for your health. We understand that life can be stressful and balancing commitments can make being active difficult. However, physical activity can improve the quality of your sleep, improve stamina and muscle tone, increase fitness and reduce the chances of you developing many health conditions.

It is important to know that small changes to your levels of physical activity can be beneficial.  If you don’t know where to start or feel daunted by the prospect of exercise, start by making little changes e.g. take the stairs; get off the bus a stop earlier; park a little bit further away from the office/shop; stand rather than sit where possible etc.  Anyone not used to exercise should start slowly and build it up as they feel able. 

Even the normal activities of daily life can help get us moving a bit more e.g. walking to your local shop rather than home delivery as it gives a chance to walk and carry bags; gardening, cleaning.

 

Achieving your recommended daily physical activity is easier than you think! Take a look at this video:

Working patterns for some of us are still not back to where they were, and working from home for at least part of the week may never go away. Some people love working from home, others not so much. Whatever camp you are in, you need to get away from your computer sometimes so why not try some of the following ideas:

• Walking, jogging and cycling in your own time
• If you have time, a quick walk at lunchtime can break up your day, and give you a boost. Some people swear by a ‘fake’ commute, a walk or a cycle before work starts.
• Try to break up your day, breaking up the time you are sitting down by moving every 30 minutes or so, even by standing up and walking around the house
• Some of the ideas on our ‘Apps & Videos’ page might be of interest to help you break up your periods of sitting if you are working from home.
• If you currently use public transport and live less than a couple of miles from your work, how about trying to walk it? Perhaps just one way to start with and pick a nice sunny day on which to do it

 

Click the links below to find a range of additional Keeping Active support, resources and local activities: