Benefits of exercise
Exercise benefits everyone
No matter what their age, everyone benefits from exercise. Getting children active from an early age can instill healthy habits that may last a lifetime. Older people and seniors get huge benefits from keeping active.
Nearly a third of children aged two to 15 are now classed as either overweight or obese. So it’s more important than ever to get children active. Physical activity for children has a number of benefits.
It stimulates the development of the muscles, bones and joints, as well as the heart and lungs.
It helps children maintain a healthy weight.
It gives them an opportunity to interact with other people and make friends.
It can help young people manage symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Sedentary lifestyles, jobs and long commutes have put us more at risk of the dangers of inactivity compared with previous generations. Guidelines recommend that we take as much opportunity as we can to be active. Adults should aim to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity over the course of the week. Alternatively, you can do 75 minutes of vigorous intensity exercise or even shorter amounts at very high intensity (such as sprints or climbing stairs). A combination of intensities is also an option.
It’s also important to do some strengthening exercises on at least two days a week. This could be activities such as heavy gardening or exercising with weights. Aim to do some physical activity every day.
Whatever your stage of life, there are plenty of different exercise options to try. Exercise doesn’t just mean going to the gym or heading out for a run. It may be as simple as walking to and from the shops instead of getting in the car. Or even getting off the bus a few stops earlier.
If you don’t currently do any exercise or haven’t done for a while, it needn’t take much effort to get started. After all, doing some physical activity is better than doing none at all. Even doing a little more exercise than usual can help reduce your risk of certain long-term health conditions. And it doesn’t have to be time-consuming. By becoming more active throughout your day, you can quite easily achieve the recommended activity levels.
Why do I need to keep active?
Being as active as possible provides a whole host of benefits and reduces your chance of getting a number of health conditions. For example, exercising regularly:
improves your muscular and cardiorespiratory fitness
improves your bone health
reduces your risk of high blood pressure (hypertension), coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and some cancers
helps manage your weight and reduces your risk of becoming obese
reduces anxiety and depression, and helps prevent other mental health problems
boosts your mood and wellbeing
You can read more about each of these benefits below.
Whether you’re just starting or have always been active, make sure you take steps to stay injury-free and avoid things like a muscle strain. Take things gradually to start with and build up from there. It’s important to eat the right foods to provide the fuel you need to exercise, and to drink enough water to keep you hydrated.
With so many health supplements and protein products available from supermarkets, health shops and the internet, it’s easy to be tempted. But a wholesome, balanced diet is the best plan of action for most people. If you’re an athlete considering taking a dietary supplement, it’s important you get the right advice from a sports dietitian. If you’re worried about having a deficiency, speak to your GP or a dietitian.
Keep your heart healthy
Exercise is one of the best things you can do to keep your heart healthy and reduce your risk of developing stroke or coronary heart disease. In fact, regular exercise can reduce your chance of cardiovascular disease by a third.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is common – around three in 10 adults in the UK have it. If you have high blood pressure, you’re more likely to have a stroke or heart failure. Doing regular exercise can help to reduce your blood pressure and the risk.
You can help to improve the balance of your cholesterol by exercising. There are two types of cholesterol – low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol. LDL cholesterol is sometimes called ‘bad’ cholesterol; HDL cholesterol is sometimes called ‘good’ cholesterol. High levels of LDL and low levels of HDL increase your risk of heart disease. But the good news is that exercise is linked to higher levels of HDL cholesterol.
Exercise tip
To reduce your risk of cardiovascular disease, walk whenever possible. Think to yourself, can I do a particular journey or part of a journey on foot? Think twice before hopping into the car. Find ways to add activity to your day – it doesn’t need to be structured exercise. If you already walk, try upping the pace. Weather and work permitting, go for a walk at lunchtime. Even a quick walk at a brisk pace is better than sitting by your desk.
Keep your muscles, bones and joints strong
Regular exercise keeps your muscles, bones, joints and other connective tissue healthy.
Training with weights (or using your body weight to exercise) improves the function of your muscles and helps keep your bones strong and healthy. Physical activity can increase bone mineral density and helps to maintain strong bones. As you get older, you can start to lose muscle and bones density but you can help to prevent this by exercising regularly. Maintaining good muscle and bone strength throughout life is really important to help prevent injury, falls and fractures and to prevent osteoporosis. This is especially important as you age. But if you already have osteoporosis, weight-bearing exercise such as walking or exercising with weights is very helpful.
Lower back pain is common – up to six in 10 people in the UK have it at some time in their life, but if you exercise, you’re less likely to get it. If you have lower back pain, certain exercises can help to ease it and reduce the chance of it coming back.
If you have osteoarthritis (a common form of arthritis), it’s very important to keep your joints moving and to do some strengthening exercises. Moderate aerobic activity, such as walking, swimming and cycling, can help to treat and reduce pain caused by osteoarthritis.