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Did you know that physical inactivity can be as dangerous to
your health as smoking? To stay healthy, experts recommend that people
accumulate 60 minutes of physical activity every day. That may sound like a lot
– but don’t despair. Adding physical activity to your day is easier than you
think.
Instead of doing an hour of exercise all at once, you can add up your activities
during the day, 10 minutes at a time, until you reach your goal of 60 minutes.
Start slowly and build up – the more active you are, the more your health will
benefit!
Time vs. effort
Adding more physical activity to your day doesn’t mean that you
have to do a lot of hard work. Gentle exercise, sustained over a longer period,
can give you the same health rewards as vigorous exercise over a shorter time.
Your exercise program doesn’t have to be complicated, either. For example,
walking is an unstructured, low-cost activity that can be done almost anywhere,
on almost any schedule – and it is very good for your heart, lungs, muscles and
joints. Start with light activities and gradually add in some moderate or
vigorous exercises to get the best health benefits.
This chart will show you how easy it is to get active!
Take the first step by making an action plan for active living.
Find out how!
To learn more about active living, read
Canada’s Physical Activity Guide to Healthy Active Living,
published by Health Canada and the Canadian Society of Exercise Physiologists.
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