What is Physical Activity?

'Physical activity' is a broad term to describe any movement that uses up energy. It can be anything from walking, gardening or housework to dancing, swimming and sports. Regular physical activity contributes to overall health and wellbeing and reduces the risk of disease. (coronary heart disease, colon cancer, Type II diabetes and obesity).

K:A Leisure are continually seeking to identify and develop new and innovative ways of improving physical activity levels. The good news is that becoming active is easier than you think. Building more activity into your daily life is an easy way to keep healthy.

There are activities to suit everyone and by making small changes to your daily routine you can really begin to make a difference to the way you feel. Add a bit of physical activity to the things you do every day so that being active becomes a way of life. Incorporating physical activity into your routine is easy and fun…

Research shows it’s never too late to change or too early to begin. You can reap the benefits of being physically active whatever age you are…

The Benefits

• Regular physical activity can:
• Help to improve general health and fitness
• Help to lower your blood pressure
• Help to control your weight and body shape
• Help to improve energy levels
• Help to improve your sleep
• Be a way of meeting new friends
• Be a way of having fun

How Much and How Often

The main aim is to be more active more often. Its not only what you do, its how often and how energetically you do it that counts. For adults the goal is to accumulate half and hour of moderate intensity physical activity on 5 or more days of the week and children and young people should be active for at least an hour. Moderate intensity activities make you feel warmer and breathe slightly harder than normal but that you can still talk (brisk walking, swimming, gardening, dancing etc).

How to become more active?

• Come to one of our centres and do one of the many physical activities available
• Join our KA Studio fitness centre
• Go out for a short walk before breakfast, lunch and dinner...or all 3. Start gradually and build up
• Get off the bus a stop earlier
• Find an activity buddy...Activity is more fun when there is more than one
• While doing the housework dance while you dust!
• Walk or cycle to work instead of taking the car
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Walk the dog
• For short errands leave the car and walk or cycle
• Plan family physical activities
• Put your favourite music on and get dancing with someone or yourself!
• Work in the garden
• Park further away from the shops and walk the extra distance with your shopping
• Throw away your television remote control...Get up off that sofa!