With the increasing focus on the benefits of physical activity, plus its importance for physical and mental health and with inactivity linked to many serious health problems, why are men not more active?
Busy lives means it is very easy to find reasons not to be active. Some of these are lack of time, lack of motivation, lack of interest and lack of ability. Many men find it difficult to stick to some form of exercise or don’t act until there has been a health scare.
The key is to start simple, any activity that works the major muscle groups is worthwhile, here are some tips that may help you on your way to being more active:
- Choose activities that appeal to you, try a group class if you prefer the fun and social aspect. Forget the ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality, exercise doesn’t have to be gruelling and vigorous to be effective
- Have a realistic exercise plan, block sessions of half an hour to an hour. Don’t forget to include incidental exercise into your day. Any exercise is better than none
- Schedule your exercise in your diary or calendar. Try early morning exercise before you get busy, morning training gets you going for the day. Not a morning person take your gear to work and exercise on the way home
- Commit to exercise with someone else or a group, harder to cancel if you feel you are letting someone down
- Track your progress, update your activity goals regularly and note the benefits to your overall health.
Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving, makes your breathing quicker and your heart beat faster:
- Aim to do strength work at least 2 days per week, this can be body weight, free or machine weights with a program from the gym staff or classes such as Body Pump or GRIT (high intensity)
- Moderate to vigorous activity on most other days by walking or running, cycling, swimming, or taking on classes like Body Combat, RPM or spin and GYMfit. Programs can also be prescribed by the gym instructors for you to perform on the cardio equipment in the health club
- Mobility and balance training is a great way to unwind after a vigorous training session or destress after work. Yoga, Pilates and Body Balance classes are led by qualified instructors and provide low impact exercise options.
Give your activity a purpose by setting a goal, regular physical activity will give you more energy, train with a buddy or a group to help stay motivated and most importantly chose something that you enjoy and is fun.
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