Choose Health - Be Active!
The FOUR TYPES of physical activity
The gurus agree, FOUR TYPES of activity are needed to keep us healthy and fit for life!
These include:
1. Moderate 'Fitness' activities
These activities help to keep your heart, lungs and circulatory system
healthy. Choose from:
- Brisk walking
- Yard and garden work
- Continuous swimming
- Aerobics
- Cycling
- Golf (no cart!)
- Household activities: (washing the car; vigorous mopping and vacuuming)
- Walking the dog
- Dancing
- Aqua-aerobics
- Jogging
- Tennis.
Try to do something from this list for 30 minutes every day. If you prefer, you can break it up into three lots of ten minutes or two lots of 15 minutes.
2. Strength activities
Strength activities help your muscles and bones stay strong and make
it easier for you to do daily tasks as you get older. Build them into
your everyday life:
- Climbing stairs
- Weight, strength or resistance training exercises
- Lifting and carrying (e.g. groceries or small children)
- Callisthenics (e.g. push ups and sit ups)
- Heavy yard work (e.g. digging and shifting soil).
Make a time to do specific strength exercises two to three times a week and build them into everyday activities.
3. Flexibility activities
These activities help you to move more easily. They include gentle
reaching, bending and stretching. If you stay flexible you will always
be able to put on your own shoes and socks! Try:
- Tai Chi
- Bowls (indoor and outdoor)
- Stretching exercises
- Housework (not something we love, but it is an ideal opportunity to stretch and bend when mopping or vacuuming)
- Yoga
- Dancing
- Yard work.
Try to do some form of stretching every day - even if it is only while you are watching TV.
4. Balancing activities
Practising balance now will help to prevent falls later.
Make a specific time each day to do these types of exercises, or fit
them in whenever you can - for example - while waiting for
the kettle to boil.