Dr Richard Davies, Chair and Clinical Lead, NHS Redditch and Bromsgrove Clinical Commissioning Group, writes a Health Column for the Redditch Standard.
Dr Richard says:
AS winter nears and the temperature drops you may find you lack the motivation to get out and about yet staying active throughout autumn and winter will help you beat those seasonal blues and stay healthy.
With new and improving technologies as a society ae are tending to spend more time sitting down, watching TV and using computers for much of the day, but recent research proves a less active lifestyle is very bad for your health.
Regular exercise can have many benefits including boosting your mental health and wellbeing. People who are physically active have up to a 50 per cent reduced risk of developing major chronic diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, diabetes and some cancers and a 20-30 per cent reduced risk of premature death.
Other benefits are:
Helps you to maintain a healthy weight.
Helps maintain your ability to perform everyday tasks with ease.
Improves your self-esteem.
Reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety.
The amount of exercise you need to do is determined by your age. For children and teenagers 60 minutes activity a day is recommended, for anyone aged over 19, 150 minutes of moderate aerobic activity a week is what you should be aiming for.
For most people, the easiest way to get moving is to make activity part of everyday life, like walking or cycling instead of using the car. However, the more you take part in activities such as sports and exercise the even healthier you will be.
For more information use the NHS Choice’s directory to find activities near you:
http://www.nhs.uk/ServiceDirectories/Pages/ServiceSearchAdditional.aspx?ServiceType=SportAndFitness
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