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Physical Activity - A Summary

This leaflet gives a brief summary about physical activity to improve your health. If you prefer, there is another more detailed leaflet on physical activity.

Why is physical activity good for health?

If you do some physical activity regularly you are less likely to develop diseases such as: heart disease, stroke, bowel cancer, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity. In addition, many people feel better in themselves. Regular physical activity is also thought to help ease stress, anxiety, and mild depression.

What sort of activity and how much?

The main exercise should be anything that makes your heart rate increase, gets you warm, mildly out of breath, and mildly sweaty. For example: brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, etc. You can even use normal activities. For example, fairly heavy housework or gardening can make you out of breath and sweaty. Consider a brisk walk to work, or to the shops, instead of using a car or bus. The activity does not have to be intense. However, some evidence suggests that for preventing heart disease the more vigorous the activity, the better.

The minimum to gain health benefits is probably 30 minutes in a day, at least five days per week. However, you do not have to do it all at once. For example, cycling each way to work for 15 minutes each way adds up to 30 minutes. Try to increase the amount to 40-60 minutes on most days if you can, especially if you are obese and aiming to lose weight.

In addition, you should aim to do a minimum of two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities per week. Muscle-strengthening activities include a progressive weight-training programme, stair climbing and similar resistance exercises that use the major muscle groups. Each 'session' should be a minimum of 8-10 exercises using the major muscle groups. Ideally, to maximise strength development, use some sort of resistance (such as a weight for arm exercises) and do 8-12 repetitions of each exercise.

Are there any risks with physical activity?

If you do some types of sports you risk suffering sprains, and sometimes more serious injuries. You can cut down the risk of injury by always warming up before sport, and by wearing the correct footwear. Endurance sports such as marathon running can cause stress fractures, fatigue, and menstrual periods to stop in some women.

Sudden death sometimes occurs in people who are doing some physical activity. This is rare if you are used to moderate physical activity. It is more likely to occur if you do not usually do much physical activity, but then do a sudden bout of vigorous activity such as an intense game of squash. However, even in this situation, sudden death is rare. The potential health gains from physical activity greatly outweigh the small risks involved.

Some other points about physical activity

It is never too late to start doing some physical activity for health, no matter how old or unfit you are. If you have a concern about a medical condition, see a doctor. However, there are few reasons why physical activity may be harmful. A common wrong belief is that physical activity may be "bad for the heart". On the contrary, physical activity is good for most people with heart disease. If you are unfit, it is best to gradually build up your level of activity.

References

Energising Lives: A Guide to Promoting Physical Activity in Primary Care, NHS Health Scotland (July 2008)
At least five a week: Evidence on the impact of physical activity and its relationship to health, Department of Health (2004)
Physical Activity and the Heart: An Update, (Factfile) British Heart Foundation (04-2001):

Comprehensive patient resources are available at www.patient.co.uk

Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. EMIS has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions.
© EMIS 2008 Reviewed: 26 Aug 2008 DocID: 4671 Version: 39

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