Activity

We are all different. But regardless of your age, whether you are working or not, or whether you are in good health or if you have a health condition - being physically active is important for you.

Have you been meaning to do a bit more but can't get started? Perhaps you are not yet convinced about the need to do some activity?

There are all sorts of things that you can do. Being active doesn't mean you have to go to the gym or join an exercise class, it could be fitting some activity into your daily routine such as walking some or all of the way to work.

Crawley Wellbeing is here to help point you in the right direction for things that will suit YOU - your own likes and dislikes, your current activity and fitness levels and your lifestyle. Contact us if you would like to talk to us personally or read on for a bit more information.

Why not start out by taking some easy self-assessment tests to find out more? Or find out what activities are on offer in Crawley? Click on the buttons below:

Why should we be physically active?

Being active will make a difference to the quality of your life. Once you start you'll soon experience the benefits.

The benefits of regular physical activity include:-

• Looking better, with better body shape and appearance
• Helping to reduce stress and anxiety
• Helping you to relax more easily
• Sleeping better and having more energy
• Better concentration
• Enjoyment - activity can be great fun and something you can do with other people
• Reduce the risk of developing some long term conditions, such as heart disease, some cancers and osteoporosis (thinning of the bones)

Physical activity can also help to manage and control health problems, including helping you to:-

• Achieve a healthy weight - activity burns Calories so will therefore make it easier and quicker for you to achieve a healthy weight. Click on the link for more information on losing weight and a healthy balanced diet
• Have healthy blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels
• Control heart disease, including angina
• Manage and control your diabetes
• Keep your joints and bones healthy

How much should we be doing?

Why 30 minutes? Because this is what has been shown to be needed to keep the lungs, heart, muscles and bones in good working order.

The good news is that this 30 minutes doesn't have to be done all in one go, it can be split up into two lots of 15 minutes or three lots of 10 minutes during the day. So if you haven't been active for some time, start off being active in ten minute bouts and then try to gradually build this up over the coming weeks. Any amount of additional activity will make a difference.

If you are concerned about your health and how being active will affect you, you should speak with your GP before starting. Most health problems can be helped by regular activity but it is always advisable to check with your doctor first about the amount and type of activity that is suitable for you.

For general health benefit children and young people should achieve a total of at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity activity a day on 7 days per week.

For more information on children and young people and activity have a look at the Tips For Parents on the British Heart Foundation website.

What activity should we be doing?

Physical activity doesn't have to mean a trip to the gym. This is great if you like this environment but there are lots of other things that you could do instead. Think about what you enjoy, the time that you have available within your day and what you could fit into your daily routine, the facilities available around your local area and what your friends and families do. Doing things on your own is great but doing it with other people can be even better!

The table below shows some of the activities that you could try. This list here is by no means exhaustive but it might give you some food for thought about what you might like to do.

Running	Cycling	Jogging	Walking	Squash
Gardening	Aerobics	Tai Chi	Hockey	Badminton
Vacuuming	Digging	Swimming	Ballrooom Dancing	Skateboarding
Tennis	Bowling	Netball	Yoga	Pilates
Street dance	Football	Frisbee	Water aerobics	Climbing stairs
BMX biking	Tap dancing	Fell walking	Rock climbing	Skating
Rugby	Horse riding	Gardening	Belly dancing	Ice Hockey
Sweeping up leaves	Line dancing	Active shopping	Climbing wall	Pillow fighting
Aerobics	Golf	Skiing	Walking the dog	Weight training

Walking in particular is a great source of exercise. It is low impact, costs nothing and anyone can do it. You can walk as part of your daily routine - such as walking up stairs, walking to work or school, walking to catch the bus, walking to the local shops or to meet a friend. You can do it on your own, with your family or in an organised group. click on the link to find out about Health Walks in Crawley.

You could also try creative dance which is held on Tuesdays at The Friary Hall on Haslett Avenue (RH10 1HS) from 11:30 – 12:15pm at a cost of £2.00. View the creative dance flyer.

As a start, just try to fit more walking into your daily routine.

Services and facilities that we can point you towards to help you achieve your own physical activity goals

Contact us at Crawley Wellbeing and we can help you to make the changes, which could make a big difference to your life. If you need some encouragement and help to make these changes then we can try to find someone to help you to make that difficult first step.

• contact crawley wellbeing - online enquiry form