There are many factors which can influence our weight; including our sleep pattern, genetics, age and lifestyle habits.
Physical activity will increase your weight loss success, and offers many other benefits – some you may not actually be able “see” or “feel,” but will be internally reducing your risk of disease and extending your life.
Evidence shows that those who are more physically active are more likely to sustain their weight loss. Weight maintenance can break the cycle of yo-yo dieting, and can be a real boost to your wellbeing and quality of life.
What do we mean by “Physical Activity”?
When you think about the word “exercise” do you imagine Lycra clad people in a gym or fit people running on a treadmill?
The truth is that you don’t need to exercise until you are gasping and feeling uncomfortably sweaty. This is why we choose to use the term “physical activity”. Physical activity allows us to include “any and all”, additional movement into our programme. Any muscle movement will count, and will be beneficial to your health and wellbeing. The good news is that those who are least active, will gain significant health benefits from making small improvements.
Benefits of activity
We know from research that even small increases in activity can beneficial impact your health. Physical activity can;
- reduce the risk of being diagnosed with certain types of cancers
- reduce, or help with type 2 diabetes control
- reduce your risk of blood pressure, heart, and breathing problems
Increased fitness may improve mobility problems, joint pain and self-care. We can easily forget the additional benefits of sleep improvements and the “structure” activity can bring to your day. Activity has a positive impact on our mood – releasing our “happy hormones”. These hormones make us feel more content, less depressed or anxious, and can even reduce our pain levels!
The Scottish Physical Activity Guidelines suggest we should aim to;
- Sit less and move more
- Aim for 30 minutes per day of moderate intensity exercise, 5 days per week
- Add in strength exercises in 10 minutes bouts at least 2 times per week
- If you are over the age of 65 – try some balance exercises e.g. bowls, tai chi, cycling or simply standing on one leg and challenge your balance (in a safe space)
Let’s discuss these guidelines in more detail:
How to start becoming more active?
This depends on your current level of activity, health concerns and experience.
Start with small changes if you consider yourself to be “inactive.” For example, if you are spending a lot of your day lying, or sitting, or if you are only able to manage very short, or irregular bouts of activity:
- Aim to limit daytime sleeping periods
- Break up time spent sitting – set an alarm to get up and move room to room every 30 minutes
- Try at least one household task per day. Pace yourself. You can rest as often as you need
- Use, or if needed, upgrade your walking aids – they may allow you to mobilise further with less pain
If you have pain:
- Use painkillers, try heat packs or ice packs (be careful not to burn your skin)
- Try TENS machines, massage therapists, or try a referral to the Musculoskeletal Physiotherapy team in Ayrshire and Arran. Be as proactive as possible when managing your pain
Musculoskeletal service – NHS Ayrshire & Arran
Every day may be a challenge. It can help our motivation by thinking that extra small movements will have a positive impact on your long term health.
There are seated activities or balance activities that you could try at home if you do not feel confident enough (…yet!), to exercise in a community venue or gym. See links below:
Cardiac rehabilitation at home – BHF
Fitness Studio exercise videos – NHS
How hard should I push myself when exercising?
This depends again on your current fitness levels and medical history, but here are some tips;
- Always try and incorporate a warm up and a cool down into every activity. This means, start and finish at a lighter pace, or with stretches, or a gentle practice of the exercises ahead.
- Always make sure that you can talk when being active without holding your breath. If you use an inhaler or an angina spray then keep it nearby.
Do I need to complete the 30 minutes all in one go?
No – you can complete the 30 minutes in bouts of any timescale e.g. 3 x 10 minute bouts, or, 20 mins plus 10 mins etc. Target 30 minutes per day – but keep in mind that 30 minutes is the “minimum time,” recommended per day. Ideally, you do not want to limit yourself – and should continue to strive to be as active, as you are able, throughout the day.
What should “moderate” intensity feel like?
This can be different for everyone. Here are some general rules:
- Your heart will be beating faster
- Your breathing will feel deeper, you would struggle to sing
- You will be feeling warmer and perhaps starting to sweat
- Your breathing should not feel out of control and activity should not bring on chest pain or extreme pain
What does a vigorous intensity feel like?
Vigorous activity is when you would struggle to talk and may be gasping. You may be really sweaty and feel like your muscles were working really hard. It is not necessary to work this hard to obtain health benefits.
It is better not to leave all your daily exercise to only one session per day – it is more helpful to think about ways to incorporate “little and often” bouts.
How to start? Ready to take the first step?
Activity is personal and individual. No “one size fits all” – we all enjoy different activities. It is important to pick something you enjoy so that you are more likely to continue.
If you feel ready to take the first step then think about a plan or a small goal. Think about how to achieve it using the Habits method in Chapter 7.
Here’s a space for you to write out your activity goal.
My goal is to be able to _______________ by __________________
Step 1:
Set a timer for 2 minutes, and write down as many things you could do to be active as you can that would help you reach your goal.
POST IT.
Pick one to try first and try it for at least 2 weeks. If that one doesn’t work, return to your list, pick another one to try and repeat step 2 and 3 again.
Step 2: How might you prompt or remind yourself to do this behaviour?
POST IT.
Step 3: How might you make the behaviour easier to do?
POST IT.
Things to watch out for when starting a new exercise regime…
Take care to not reward yourself with food. You may feel like you have earned a bigger portion, or a slice of cake, but you might undo all your efforts. Try and consider ways in which you can reward yourself without eating e.g. buy a magazine, buy new work out gear and so on.
Track your activity. Write down how long you spend doing an activity in a notebook, or you can use a step counter or app on your phone to help.
Top tips for success!
Increasing your activity level is a great way to become more social. A “buddy system” – becoming active with a friend or a small group, can be very powerful for motivating yourself to be active, and can make it harder to pass on an activity session when you don’t feel like it.
Having a routine, or weekly class, can be encouraging and supportive. Being consistent is important. You could plan a weeks’ worth of activity and tell your friends and family. They can help to keep you on track!
Aim to incorporate more activity into your daily life. Make it sustainable, prioritise it, and you will see and feel positive results.