WHY KEEPING ACTIVE IS SO IMPORTANT
Did you know that regular physical activity is one of the most important things you can do for your health? It doesn’t matter about your age, weight, ability, shape or size – getting active benefits our bodies, minds and mental wellbeing. It can improve your mood, energise you, help you maintain a healthy weight, strengthen your bones and muscles, and reduce your risk of illnesses like heart disease and cancer. Exercise also plays a vital role in building and maintaining strong muscles and bones.
Despite these reasons, only about two-thirds of men and around
half of women meet the minimum recommended national levels for physical activity, which can negatively impact your health and our society.
Here are seven reasons why keeping active can help you:
- Exercise combats health problems and can help prevent diseases
- It improves your mood
- It boosts your energy levels and your immunity
- Exercise can help with brain function and memory
- It improves your sleep
- It helps you maintain a healthy weight
- It’s a great social activity!
‘OSTEOPATHS CAN ADVISE ON HOW MUCH PHYSICAL ACTIVITY YOU SHOULD BE AIMING FOR, HOW TO GET STARTED OR BECOME
MORE ACTIVE AND THE POSITIVE INFLUENCE PHYSICAL ACTIVITY CAN HAVE ON YOUR HEALTH.’
When you see an osteopath, they will often provide you with advice on keeping active so you can keep healthy and fend off aches and pains. A major effect of inactivity is muscle loss. Muscles need to be worked on regularly to maintain strength and ability. Therefore, if you lose muscle power, you’re unable to do the things you could easily do before.
And it is never too late to start! Osteopaths can advise on how much physical activity you should be aiming for, how to get started or become more active and the positive influence physical activity can have on your health.
Exercise and physical activity are great ways for us to feel better, boost our health and have plenty of fun. During the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us stayed indoors and levels of depression were seen to rise.
Physical activity has shown to be very helpful for some people with mild to moderate depression and has been proven to reduce the symptoms by up to 30% when performing 45 to 60 minutes of exercise, three times a week.
Find an activity you enjoy and that you can fit into your life and sustain. You could try walking, cycling, swimming, dancing and even mowing the lawn.
Even small amounts of exercise are found to be useful and can make a big difference to your health!
Information taken from the Institute of Osteopathy wesbite
