How active is active?

What amount of physical activity should we be aiming to achieve? And how active do you think you are?

We know that there are physical and mental health benefits from “being active” but what does that actually mean?

Being physically active can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.

Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, clinical depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s.

Over the past two years I’ve trained many women who have all wanted to exercise as a way to reduce stress and boost mood (amongst other goals) and its no wonder with all the added stresses and strains life has thrown at us recently. Our lives are constantly changing and evolving and as we get older we can be more susceptible to the above illness and conditions. My goal as a trainer is always to help women get strong and feel good.

So how much physical activity should we be doing?

The physical activity guidelines on Gov.uk, suggest at least 150 minutes of physical activity over a week, through a variety of activities of moderate intensity. This is, moving quick enough to raise your heart rate, breathe faster and feel warmer.

How active do you think you are?

Now, have a think about times when you felt like the above that wasn’t necessarily planned exercise. E.g. doing the housework, walking to work, running to catch a train. If you felt like this while doing those things then guess what? That is physical activity and it all counts towards those 150 minutes a week, whether it’s 2 minutes or an hour, bank it! I bet you’re a lot more active than you think you are.

If you’re still not sure how much you’re doing start tracking. Smart watches are a great way of tracking your activity levels and setting yourself goals. If you’re not reaching 150mins then start to gradually increase this and work up to it.

Do you want to be more active but not sure where to start? Have a think about what is achievable. Walking is a great way to get moving and accessible for anyone. Set yourself a target of 20mins and gradually increase the time or frequency once it feels manageable. Make sure you include all the other bits and see where you are. All those little bits of physical activity are great for staying healthy but you may want to do something more beneficial and enjoyable for you personally.

Now realistically when can you fit this into your week? Plan these sessions in. Remember it doesn’t have to be hour long sessions, shorter workouts can be a lot more manageable, enjoyable and still beneficial.

If you want some help setting some goals, planing out your week, or want to try some classes or 1:1 training, then get in contact. I can help figure out your own personal plan that will benefit your needs and wants.