There are several health and lifestyle benefits to regular physical activity, no matter what your age. As you get older it is even more important to maintain a regular exercise routine.

The Benefits of exercise include:

• improved mobility – keeping your joints and muscles strong
• increased bone density – develops strong bones
• overall sense of well-being – by reducing stress, anxiety, depression and lifting your self esteem, confidence, body image and mood, also helps sleep and cognition
• reduces the likelihood of being overweight and warding off obesity
• help prevent illness – ensuring your immune system is fighting fit, helps lower blood pressure and cholesterol
• reducing the risk of developing heart disease, type 2 diabetes and osteoporosis

Government Guidelines:

To maintain a good level of fitness and lead a healthy lifestyle, the Government guidelines are that most people should exercise for at least 30 minutes five times a week. A recent poll by Cancer Research UK showed that 4 out of 5 women are not undertaking enough exercise to stay healthy and 1 in 4 doing no exercise at all! The situation has become so bad that health campaigners are saying we could lose years off our lives through increased risk of cancer, coronary heart disease, obesity and stroke!

So what can women do to get moving? – Make it a priority to have time for yourself!

Not surprisingly, many women feel we don’t have the time or motivation to make space in our hectic schedules. The only way to tackle this is by a change in ‘attitude’. Experts say exercise needs to become a priority in the 21st Century and should be rated as important as friends and family commitments, our social and work lives.

The good news is, physical activity can be incorporated easily into most people’s daily lives. These sessions  could include anything from a  brisk walk or gardening to playing kick-around with the kids or even housework. The important thing is that it gets you slightly out of breath and leaves you feeling slightly warmer than usual. These activities don’t need to take long, but they make a huge difference to an individual’s health and stamina over the long term.

It’s never too late to start. There’s even more reason to start now if you are inactive, the greatest reduction of disease risk has been seen by going from inactivity to being physically active!

Types of exercise

There are also many different ways to exercise. Cardiovascular exercises, like dancing, aerobics or cycling, help to improve the condition of your heart and lungs. Running and weight training develop strength, endurance and lean muscle tone. Exercises like Yoga and Pilates keep you supple, improve your posture and balance and increase lean muscle tone.

It is best to choose a type of exercise that you like doing because you are more likely to continue doing an activity that you enjoy. Remember that as well as helping you to stay fit and healthy and maintain a healthy weight, regular exercise can increase your energy levels, lift your mood, and help you to sleep better!

Aerobic exercise strengthens and tones muscles, helps your heart pump more efficiently, improves circulation and helps to lower blood pressure.

Energize ‘aerobic type’ classes such as Aerobics & Body Toning, Cardio-Kickboxing for Women and Bollywood Fusion Aerobics can burn up to 500 calories per class! The longer you can keep going, the more calories you’ll burn!

So burn away calories while having fun too!