Physical activity can happen at home, at school, at work, during leisure time and while getting from place to place. Being physically active is enjoyable, has huge health benefits and improves the quality of life for all individuals. It not only strengthens the body, but also makes people feel good about themselves, reduces stress, strengthens the heart and lungs, and helps prevents non-communicable chronic diseases.
It’s fun to be active with family and friends and there are many simple ways to do it every day. Enjoy a daily walk, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or spend less time in front of screens and more time in the great outdoors. You can also remember to park farther away in parking lots from buildings or get up from your desk and talk to a co-worker at the end of the hall instead of calling or texting them.
When talking about physical activity, we must also remember to talk about sedentary behavior. Sedentary behaviour is any behaviour when awake, that requires little to no energy and occurs while sitting or lying down. It can also occur at work or at school when sitting at a desk for a long periods of time or when home watching TV or playing video games.
For health benefits, it’s important to move as much as you can throughout the day, get the proper amounts of sleep for your age, and limit sedentary time.
For more information about physical activity, please contact:
Ashley Button
Recreation and Sport Consultant – Physical Activity
Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation
2nd Floor West Block
ashleybutton@gov.nl.ca
(709)729-5281