The benefits of regular physical activity

If you are regulary physically acitve, you may:

- reduce your risk of heart attack

- manage your weight better

- have a lower blood cholesterol level

- lower the risk of type 2 diabetes and some cancers

- habe lower blood pressure

- have stroger bones, muscles and joints andlower the risk of osteooporosis

- lower your risk of falls

- recover better from periods of hospitalisation or bed rest

- feel better - with more energy, a better mood, feel more releaxed and sleep better.

If you are regularly phyisically active you will have a healthier state of mind:

A number of studies have found that exercise helps depression. There are many views as to how exercise helps people with depression. Exercise may block negative thoughts or distract people from daily worries.

Exercising with others provides an opportunity for increased social contact. Increased fitness may lift your mood and improve sleep patterns. Exercise may also change levels of chemicals in your brain, such as serotonin, endorphins and stress hormones.

Aim for at least 30 minutes a day:

To maintain health and reduce your risk of health problems, health professionals and researchers recommend a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days