Further information

Common fears and misconceptions about exercise and physical activity

• Age,"I am too old, it will not do me any good"
• Fear of falling
• Worries about ability to perform certain movements
• It might worsen your medical condition
• It is unpleasant to do
• Too unfit to start
• Embarrassment/self consciousness
• "It is only for young people"
• "I don’t have the right clothing"
• "It’s only for sporty people"

Active for health

If you want to reduce your risk of suffering from coronary heart disease, obesity or mental health problems, research indicates you should be physically active. Achieving these health benefits does not require the same intensity of training as becoming fit. You can simply build physical activity into your daily routine, either as a form of 'active commuting' (walking or cycling, perhaps) or in the comfort of a health club.

Some people are put off becoming more active because they think they have to work out at a high intensity, compete with others or wear a designer tracksuit. None of these things are necessary.

Top active living tips

• Use the stairs instead of the escalator or lift at work;
• Park your car in the parking bay furthest from the supermarket, or;
• Don't use the remote control to change TV channels.

How much exercise do you need?

We all know that exercise is an essential part of a healthy lifestyle, yet few of us get enough. Perhaps it's time to take a look at how much activity we really need - you may be pleasantly surprised.

For many people, their views on sport and exercise were formed during school PE lessons and early involvement in youth sports. Often, they're left with the impression that only strenuous sport and exercise is beneficial for health.

In fact, there's a well established and growing body of knowledge that shows mild to moderate physical activity is the best way to health. So instead of asking how much exercise is good for you, perhaps you should be asking how little you can get away with.

The aim

Your aim is to build up to 30 minutes moderate activity a day.

• If you can't manage 30 minutes a day, anything more than what you're doing now is a step in the right direction.
• If you can't manage 30 minutes in one go, two 15-minute sessions are just as good.
• If you're doing 30 minutes a day already, keep it up - and do more if you want to.

Remember - anything is better than nothing!

Health vs. fitness

In order to find out how much exercise is enough, you need to be clear about what you want to achieve. Do you want to be fit or healthy? It's easy to confuse the terms as they're often used interchangeably to mean the same thing. But in fact they are different in both physiological and psychological terms.

Fitness has been defined in relation to a concept called physical work capacity, or how much work the body can do. A person's fitness can be determined in a laboratory by looking at how much energy they can produce on a cycle ergo meter when cycling at a specific heart rate, or on an athletic track by looking at how far they can run in a set time. Fitness can also be understood in relation to a number of components including endurance, flexibility, strength and power. You need to be fit to play many sports, including football, hockey and tennis.

Health, on the other hand, is a broader concept that includes being free from and resilient to disease, mental and spiritual well being, and the quality of our social relationships. Normally, being fit and being healthy go hand in hand, but this isn't always the case. For example, you can be very fit, through playing football for example, but suffer a major health problem such as alcoholism.

Understanding the difference between fitness and health is important because the level of exercise you need to be healthy is less than that needed to get and keep you fit.

How active are you?

Being active is integral to sustained weight loss. But how much exercise do you really get every day? How many minutes activity do you do each day? Think back to what you did yesterday. It doesn't have to be sport. You can count a brisk walk to the shops, heavy gardening, vigorous housework, dancing... anything that made you breathe more heavily than usual.

Health concerns

If you have any concerns about your health, or any illness or injury, check it out with your doctor or practice nurse before becoming more active. There are many different ways to be more active, but it's important to find activities, which are safe and right for you.

Setting goals

Great! You're incorporating more exercise into your lifestyle. Now you're well on the way to becoming fitter and managing your weight. The key is to stick to it, so exercise becomes as second nature as having a cup of tea or brushing your teeth.

Think ahead

Whether you're just getting started or building up to a higher level of activity, it's important to work out what your exercise aims are for the coming month.

• Think about how many minutes exercise you get every day. Aim to increase this gradually over the next month.
• If you're just getting started, think about ways in which you can work more activity into your daily routine.
• If you're already quite active but want to build up to the next level, think about which activities you could introduce to your exercise programme.

Are you working hard enough?

You are exercising at the right level if:

• Your heart is beating faster than usual, but not racing;
• Your breathing is deeper and more rapid than usual, but not uncontrolled;
• You're warmer than usual and slightly sweaty, but not dripping;
• You feel you could comfortably continue exercising at the same level without stopping, and;
• You can carry on a conversation while doing the activity.

Sensible precautions

If you have any concerns about your health, or any illness or injury, check it out with your doctor or practice nurse before becoming more active. There are many different ways to be more active, but it's important to find activities that are safe and right for you.

Remember to...

• Build up gradually;
• Warm up and stretch exercises before you start any sport and cool down afterwards, and;
• Stop exercising if you get any pain, or feel dizzy, sick, unwell or very tired. If the symptoms don't go away or come back later, see your doctor.

Related pages on this website

• 10,000 steps a day keeps the doctor away
• Active Living: Physical Activity Referral Scheme
• Walking for Health Initiative
• Bike it! cycling routes
• Leisure facilities & activities

External links

HERON: local health information for Norfolk
The National Health Trust's comprehensive and searchable source of information and advice on health issues.

Southern Norfolk Primary Care Trust
The National health Service's local care trust for South Norfolk, with information about primary and community car in this area.

About links to other websites.