Hi
In my first post I would like to show you why it is a good idea to exercise and hopefully convince those that don’t exercise yet, to start.
Let’s start from the beginning. By exercise I mean any activity that you do outside of work or house duties such as cleaning or gardening. And I also don’t want to talk just about resistance training (although in my opinion it is one of the best forms of exercise for many reasons), but I want to talk to you about exercise in general. In this post I will show you different types of activities, introduce you some statistics and national guidelines.
Ok, so what kind of exercise can you do?
There are many different forms of exercise and it is entirely up to you to choose what might suit you best, which would give you most pleasure and sense of achievement. Here is a list of different types and they are not in any specific order:
· Running
· Cycling
· Swimming
· Resistance training
· Team sports (football, basketball, volleyball, etc.)
· Martial arts
· Dance
· Hiking
· Nordic walking etc.
The list can go on and on, so as you can see there is really a lot of options to choose from. But remember, there are certain sports that risk of injury is higher than others so you really should consider all the pros and cons for participating in each discipline you choose. I will not go into detail in this post about each of them but will focus on general benefits of exercising.
First is worth to mention the health benefits. Regular exercise can help to reduce risk of many common in today’s world diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases (heart), some forms of cancer and lower blood pressure.
If that did not persuade you yet, I will show you some more physical benefits.
Depending on the activity you choose, you will also gain some strength and endurance which will help you in tackling everyday life’s simplest jobs, for example shopping and carrying bags, walking up the stairs will no longer make you out of breath, house cleaning will be easier etc.
There is also another important benefit to discuss and that is your brain. Regular physical activity will help you with everyday tasks whether it is at work or at home, you will be able to think clearer, focus better, even memorizing things will improve. Also, your mood will be better, and you will have more energy to face everyday challenges.
Are you convinced yet?
If still not, I will show you some statistics, maybe this way I will be able to persuade you.

Around 1 in 3 (34%) of men and 1 in 2 (42%) of women in UK are not active enough for good health.
Physical inactivity is responsible for one in six UK deaths (equal to smoking) and is estimated to cost the UK £7.4 billion annually (including £0.9 billion to the NHS alone).
UK Recommendations for being active:
The UK Chief Medical Officers’ Guidelines recommend each week adults do:
· at least 150 minutes moderate intensity activity, 75 minutes’ vigorous activity, or a mixture of both
· strengthening activities on two days
· reducing extended periods of sitting
Diagram and above information are from official gov.uk site and shows different benefits of physical activity.
Source:
Approximately 3.2 million deaths around the world each year are attributable to insufficient physical activity. (WHO)
World recommendations for being active:
Group age 5-17
1. Children and youth aged 5–17 should accumulate at least 60 minutes of moderate- to vigorous-intensity physical activity daily.
2. Amounts of physical activity greater than 60 minutes provide additional health benefits.
3. Most of the daily physical activity should be aerobic. Vigorous-intensity activities should be incorporated, including those that strengthen muscle and bone*, at least 3 times per week.
*For this age group, bone-loading activities can be performed as part of playing games, running, turning or jumping.
Group age 18-64
1. Adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.
2. Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration.
3. For additional health benefits, adults should increase their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.
4. Muscle-strengthening activities should be done involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.
Group age 65 and over
1. Older adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week or an equivalent combination of moderate- and vigorous-intensity activity.
2. Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration.
3. For additional health benefits, older adults should increase their moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity to 300 minutes per week or engage in 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity per week, or an equivalent combination of moderate-and vigorous-intensity activity.
4. Older adults, with poor mobility, should perform physical activity to enhance balance and prevent falls on 3 or more days per week.
5. Muscle-strengthening activities, involving major muscle groups, should be done on 2 or more days a week.
6. When older adults cannot do the recommended amounts of physical activity due to health conditions, they should be as physically active as their abilities and conditions allow.
The above information are official guidelines from World Health Organization website.
Source:
https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_recommendations/en/
https://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/factsheet_inactivity/en/
So, as you can see being inactive unfortunately is quite common in these days.
I want to spread awareness for healthy lifestyle and being more active, so hopefully I did convince at least some of you dear readers to start your healthy journey or if you already are active then this could help you to spread some awareness among your friends and family.
I hope this article was interesting enough and you will come back for more knowledge.
Stay healthy and stay tuned!
Michal