Staying Active

 

 

Being active is one of the best ways to achieve and keep a healthy weight. 

 

Here are some ideas for moving your body every day!

  • Play your favourite team sport – soccer, footy, basketball, netball, tennis.

  • Grab some friends together and play beach sports – frisbee, cricket, kick or throw a ball around.

  • Climb a mountain or go for a bush walk.

  • Walk to school with friends

  • impress your parents: help out with house cleaning or gardening!

  • Use the stairs instead of taking lifts

  • Have a run or throw a ball around before dinner

  • Take the dog for a walk

  • Get wet! Swim/surf/body board in a patrolled spot

  • Go for a bike ride

  • Dance/ shake that body - it's great exercise!

Check out the Department  of Sport and Rec's Active Search to find a Central Coast contact for a local sport of your choice.  Click Here

Being active doesn't just help with body weight. Here are some other great reasons to keep active

  • Moving is what the body was designed for. The human body loves it. Keeping active keeps all your systems firing.

  • Being active soothes the savage beast. If you've had a bad day, don't take it out on your friends and family, slog it out on the footpath, bicycle, or basketball.

  • You actually meet new people and make friends, not just look at strangers on a TV.

  • It releases endorphins. These are the brain's happy chemicals. Being active helps to keep people from getting grumpy and makes them feel good about themselves.

  • Being active develops muscle. Muscle uses more energy thereby helping with weight control even when your not being active...cool huh!

  • Activity tends to tame the appetite i.e. you don't feel as hungry when you're out and about as you do 'veging' in front of the telly.

  • It helps to make bones strong. You'll need that for when you get old!

  • It reduces your chances of getting diabetes and some cancers.

  • It's good for your immune system i.e. you're less likely to get a cold or the flu.

  • It keeps the pipes clear i.e. you're less likely to get constipated.

  • It makes you fitter, and that means you have more staying capacity for having fun!

  • It has a great influence on cholesterol levels which helps keep your heart in top shape.

  • It helps you to sleep better.

How much physical activity do I need?

Teenagers need more physical activity than adults. Medical experts agree that for optimum health teenagers should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity every day. But remember, more is better - even up to several hours! This can be built up over the course of the day with a combination of moderate and vigorous activity. For more information check out Australia's Physical Activity Recommendations for 12-18 year olds. Click here (PDF File 124KB)

Counting Steps?

Some very clever individuals have worked out how many steps the human body requires per day to optimise health. Some people buy a gadget called a pedometer to count them.

The recommendation for teenagers is 12,000 to 15,000 steps per day.

That is a lot more than many people are currently getting.

 If you're not currently very active (say less than 6000 steps per day), try to increase the number of steps you take each day gradually. Take 2 to 3 weeks to increase your step count by 2000 per day.

 
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