J Aluoch
For maximum benefits, you should combine aerobics and strength-building activities.
Regular physical activity reduces risk of heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, bowel cancer, diabetes, breast cancer, osteoporosis, and obesity.
One also feels good after exercising.
Regular physical activity may help ease stress, anxiety, and depression. Ideally, you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, at least five days a week, and a couple of muscle strengthening activities.
But anything is better than nothing. For example, a daily brisk walk for two miles is a realistic goal for many people and can have a big impact on health risk. Aerobic activities make the heart and lungs work harder. They include brisk walking, jogging, swimming, cycling, dancing, badminton, and tennis. You can even use normal activities as part of your physical activity routine.
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For example, fairly heavy housework, or gardening. Consider a brisk walk to work or to the shops instead of using a car or bus.
For health benefits, you should do at least 30 minutes of moderate aerobic physical activity, on most days (at least five days a week, but you do not have to do it all at once. For example, cycling to work and back 15 minutes each way adds up to 30 minutes.
Try to increase the amount to 40-60 minutes a day if you can. For people who need to manage their weight, it should be for 45-60 minutes. For obese people and are aiming to lose weight, it should be for 60-90 minutes.
Evidence suggests that the more vigorous the physical activity, the better for health, particularly for preventing heart disease. You cannot ‘store up’ the benefits of physical activity.
Brisk walking two miles a day can cut the risk of death by half.
Do a minimum of two sessions of muscle-strengthening activities a week but not on consecutive days. They include a progressive weight-training programme, stair climbing and similar exercises that use the major muscle groups.
Ideally, exercises should not only aim to improve or maintain muscle strength, but also to maintain or improve flexibility and balance. A session at a gym is possibly ideal, but activities at home such as stair climbing, and tretching are good enough.
— The writer is a medical doctor.