For starters
Canada's Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living tells us there are three different types of activities required to keep your body healthy:
- Endurance activities for your heart, lungs and circulatory system.
- Flexibility exercises for mobility.
- Strength activities to tone muscles and bones, improve your posture and help ward off diseases like osteoporosis.
Build up slowly
Try and find a few activities from each category and do them regularly. But remember that you're not training for a marathon, so start with a warm up and low effort activities. As you get used to the effort, you'll be able to progress to a moderate or even vigorous pace. If you are not used to being active check with your physician before you begin an exercise program.
How much activity do I need to get real benefits?
Ideally you should be active for a minimum of 30 minutes a day in moderate effort activities. If you're taking part in relatively light activities like walking or stretching or gardening, try to push for 60 minutes. For moderate activities like biking, brisk walking, swimming, dancing or raking leaves, 30 to 60 minutes is terrific. And when you're up for a more vigorous workout like aerobics, jogging, hockey or basketball, 30 minutes is great.
Endurance activities (4 to 7 days a week)
Endurance activities include traditional exercises like walking, skating, swimming or tennis. But simple yard or garden work, dancing or propelling a wheelchair are endurance activities too. And you can add a few minutes of endurance activity to your day simply by getting off the bus one stop earlier, or parking further away from the mall entrance.
Flexibility activities (4 to 7 days a week)
Flexibility exercises include any activity that involves gentle reaching, bending or stretching. You may be surprised how a little flexibility work each day helps you live longer and maintain your independence as you age. Good flexibility exercises include gardening, mopping the floor, washing the car or vacuuming the house. You could also take up Tai Chi, yoga or Pilates, bowling or curling.
Strength activities (2 to 4 days a week)
Strength activities include the exercises in which your muscles work against some sort of resistance. They include walking while lifting objects like groceries, school books or even your baby, raking and carrying leaves, climbing stairs, and yard work. Getting off the elevator a floor or two early, or carrying your friends' books or groceries are easy ways to increase your strength activity. Strength exercises also include weight training or push-ups.
Sources:
Albright C and Thompson DL. (2006). The effectiveness of walking in preventing cardiovascular disease in women: a review of the current literature. J Womens Health (Larchmt). Apr;15(3):271-80
Hill JO, Stuht J, Wyatt HR, and Regensteiner JG. (2006). Physical activity in prevention and management of obesity and type-2 diabetes. Nestle Nutr Workshop Ser Clin Perform Programme. 11:183-91; discussion 191-6.
