Below are four short questions based on the NHS fitness self assessment to see if you are active enough: Do you do some form of physical activity every day? Yes / No Are you active for the recommended time for your age group (overleaf)? Yes / No Do you regularly do exercise that strengthens your muscles? Yes/ No Are you out of breath after climbing the stairs? Yes/ No If you answered mainly No then you may not be getting enough exercise. Talk to your Support Worker about ways you’d like to get fit and if there are any clubs you could join. If you answered mainly Yes then well done! You sound like you are meeting the recommended levels of exercise.
Staying active helps you to keep your heart healthy, reduces your risk of illness and makes your bones and muscles stronger. Exercise can also be a great way to reduce stress and lift your mood if you are feeling down. When you exercise, your heart rate increases and your body temperature rises (this is when you start to sweat), and this makes your lungs work harder. When you eat, your body stores calories. If you don’t exercise, you only burn a small amount of these calories and will put on weight. By staying active, you burn more calories and can avoid gaining weight. By doing a lot of exercise you can start to lose weight as well as becoming more fit and healthy.
The NHS recommends that adults should be active for at least 150 minutes per week. That’s just over 20 minutes per day Children aged 5-16 should be active for at least an hours per day. Children under 5 need three hours of activity a day. Think about how to build in the recommended amount of activity into your day. The next section gives you some ideas on how to get active.
It can sometimes feel like you don’t have enough time to exercise, and it can often feel like you have to spend a lot of money to get fit. This isn’t the case, there are lots of ways to get fit that are free and you can build into your day: Instead of catching the bus, walk to your destination Take the dog for an extra walk a day or increase the time you walk Take up a new sport or learn to dance Skipping Take a walk in the park Gardening Housework even counts Check local newspapers or Freecycle for people who are giving away fitness equipment Local councils sometimes offer free gym passes or swimming lessons