Being physically active is not only a great way to keep you feeling good, but more importantly it provides you with many health benefits including reduced risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, osteoporosis, some cancers and anxiety or depression.

The National Physical Activity Guidelines for Australians refer to the minimum levels of physical activity required for good health
1. Think of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience.
2. Be active every day in as many ways as you can.
3. Put together at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days.
4. If you can, also enjoy some regular, vigorous exercise for extra health and fitness.
Moderate physical activity is not running, it is not playing sports that you don't want to be involved in, nor is it sweating and huffing and puffing until you are exhausted. It is a brisk walk with a friend, chatting the whole way, walking fast enough to feel a slight increase in breathing rate and heart rate, whilst still being able to carry a conversation.

How hard do I need to exercise?
Moderate physical activity is needed to improve the health of your heart and reduce the risk of a number of health problems. Moderate physical activity can be described as exercise that makes you breathe a little harder and perhaps perspire a little, but not puff and pant or sweat profusely; you should still be able to talk or whistle whilst exercising.

How do I get motivated?
You are the most important source of motivation. Start off slowly and set realistic goals for yourself. Other factors can assist and some good tips to help you stay active are:

* Try to incorporate movement and activity into your normal daily routine (e.g. getting off a stop early to walk to work).
* Choose an activity you really enjoy doing if you have to incorporate a special time for exercise.
* Be active with a friend or family member.
* Look for exercise options convenient and close to your home or work.
* Set yourself short-term, realistic, achievable goals and reward yourself sensibly when you've achieved them (e.g. over the next 3 weeks I aim to walk 3 times a week for 20 minutes).
* Keep a weekly activity diary, so you can plan your week and keep track of your progressions and monitor if you are meeting your goals.
* Remember you will have setbacks that interrupt your activities. The key is to treat setbacks as temporary and to get going again as soon as you can.

How can I find time to exercise?
Although it is best to do 30 minutes of physical activity daily in one session, with today's busy lifestyle many people simply don't have the time. Don't despair, the activity needs to accumulate to 30 minutes, so you can do small amounts of activity throughout the day to improve your health, just so long as you do something every day. For example, you can take three 10 minute activity 'snacks' such as a 10 minute walk to the train, a 15 minute walk at lunch time and a 10 minute walk back home, but remember you must be active at the right intensity - which is puffing slightly.

At work

* Forget the lifts and use the stairs.
* Get off the bus or train one stop early and walk the extra distance.
* Try to ride your bike to work a couple of times a week.
* Go for a walk in your lunch break - perhaps try to get a group of your colleagues together and make it a regular outing (remember even a 10 minute walk will contribute to achieving your health goals).
* Instead of emailing or phoning people in your department, walk over to their desk and talk to them personally.
* Do some stretches throughout the day, it will reduce the risk of injury if you do manual work, assist in improving concentration and reduce any discomfort from being seated all day.

At home
Everyday activities are often not recognised as physical activity, however they certainly assist in improving your health if done regularly. Here are some examples of good home-based activities.

* Gardening can be a great form of physical activity. Mowing the lawn, raking leaves or digging soil are good examples of moderate activity which assist in developing fitness and muscle strength.
* Vacuuming and sweeping.
* Polishing floors.
* Washing the car.
* Dancing around the living room.
* Home-based exercises.
* Undertaking physical activity with the children or other family members.

Low Impact Activity Options

* Walking
* Golf
* Tai Chi
* Ballroom or Line dancing
* Gentle exercise to music classes
* Swimming
* Bowls.

Other Activity Options

* Group exercise classes
* Strength Training
* Water Exercise classes
* Jogging
* Yoga
* Home-based activities.

So you can see it's not that difficult to fit physical activity into your day!

Health Check
If you are on medication, have had a major operation, have any medical conditions or physical limitation that restricts you or is likely to be affected by physical activity, or have any other concerns regarding your capacity for activity including recent inactivity, Vicfit recommend you consult your health professional to clarify your activity options.

More information:

* Remember Physical INactivity will be more detrimental to your health than not getting up and moving!
* For more information on physical activity call the Go for your life Infoline on 1300 73 98 99.

This information has been sourced from Kinect Australia (inc VICFIT in Victoria).Kinect Australia Also for more health & Fitness articles visit Healthy Living.com.au