Physical Activity - Guide to Good Health Through Healthy Living
To maintain good
health every person should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate-intensity physical
activity throughout the day, on five or more days of the week. Please be
aware that this is a goal to set for yourself, not something you have to
be doing today.
Moderate physical activity can be almost any activity
that makes you feel the way you do when you walk briskly for 30 minutes.
These include:
- Dancing
- Riding a bike
- Gardening
- Vacuuming
- Swimming
- Hiking
- Wheeling oneself in a wheelchair
Also, these activities can be done 10 minutes at a time
over the course of the day, instead of 30 minutes at one time.
Regular physical activity can help manage the symptoms of chronic
disease (Heart disease, High blood pressure, Colon cancer, Type 2
diabetes, Osteoarthritis, Depression and anxiety...) and improve quality
of life. For example, swimming can reduce pain in people with
arthritis.
Other benefits are:
- Greater sense of wellbeing
- Maintain proper body weight
- Improve strength and flexibility
- Increase energy
- Improve balance
- Improve sleep
- Prevent falls and fractures
