Benefits of being Active Every Day
Being Active Every Day by increasing physical activity has the potential to improve the physical and mental health. It also improves the wellbeing of individuals, families, communities and the nation as a whole. Public Health England (PHE) wants to see more people being physically active. This professional resource sets out how to achieve this.
Adults in England should aim to take part in at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity each week. This should be done in bouts of 10 minutes or more, according to physical activity guidelines for adults from the UK Chief Medical Officers.
Moderate intensity physical activities, such as walking or cycling, cause adults to get warmer and breathe harder and their hearts to beat faster. However they can still carry on a conversation.
All adults should aim to be active every day at least twice weekly. This should include muscle strengthening activity, such as exercising with weights, yoga or carrying heavy shopping. This can help lower the risk of loss of muscle mass, associated with ageing but also with immobility at any age. Individuals at risk of falls should also do balance exercises twice a week.
As well as being physically active, an advice for all adults is to minimise extended periods of sitting. Even among individuals who are active at the recommended levels, spending large amounts of time sedentary increases the risk of adverse health outcomes.
Results of reduced activity
Loss of muscle can often lead to reduced exercise capacity. This results in the undertaking of less activity, which brings on a worsening of the loss of capacity.
Many adults spend in excess of 7 hours per day sedentary, and this typically increases with age.
Ways to increase activity
Everyone should reduce the amount of sedentary time by:
- reducing time spent watching TV, using a computer or playing video games
- taking regular time not sitting during work
- breaking up sedentary time, such as swapping a long bus or car journey for walking part of the way
