It is no secret that we’re all getting a little more plump, especially around the middle.
I’ve always found dieting to be really difficult, mainly because I like food far to much.
However, the Public Health England (PHE) and Royal College of GPs are encouraging adults to focus on brisk walking rather than counting steps.
Physically Inactive
The number one cause for being overweight is bad diet and being completely physically inactive.
It is suggested that one in five middle aged adults do less than 30 minutes of physical exercise per week.
Many adults, just simply don’t have the time others have said they weren’t motivated enough and some were just too tired.
Dr Campbell Murdoc, GP and PHE Physical Acitivity Clinical Champion said:
Working as a GP, I’m aware that for some of my patients juggling the demands of everyday life can mean that time for planned exercise is often limited. However brisk walking built into daily life is a great way to get more physically active. The key is to make brisk walking a habit, and the Active 10 app is a great help in achieving this.
Taking a brisk 10 minute walk to get your heart pumping and muscles working is an effective way of improving mood, and lowering the risk of serious health issues like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers. The Active 10 app helps to encourage beneficial brisk walking rather than just the number of steps taken in a day
Counting the steps
It is believed that just 10 minutes of brusk walking a day counts as exercise and can protect and improve your health.
PHE is encouraging adults in the South West to join over 600,000 others to download a free app.
Introducing Active 10 app
The app, Active 10 is aimed at helping others walk briskly.
Rather than getting people to count the steps, the app focuses on getting adults to get their heart rate up.
An estimated 3 million middle-aged adults are physically inactive across the UK.
35% of all 40-60 year olds in the South West not managing at least 10 continuous minutes each month.
By incorporating brisk walking into your everyday life it is expected to improve your health and welbeing.
Professor Sir Muir Gray, Clinical Adviser for the Active 10 app said:
The additional health benefits that can be achieved by walking at a brisk pace for periods of 10 minutes or more – as opposed to totting up a certain number of steps throughout the day – are undeniable.
I’d advise anyone of any age and activity level to start to fit in at least one 10 minute brisk walk a day as a simple way to get more active, especially those who may be taking medication for a long term health condition – you will receive even more benefits from walking briskly for 10 minutes or more a day
Increase your heart rate
Increasing your heart rate and breather faster is all part of physical activity.
Just 10 minutes of brisk walking a day is an easy way to get started with physical activity.
It is also said that brisk walking can help reduce early death by up to 15%.
Cllr Jackie Stockman, Executive Lead for Health and Wellbeing said:
Small, often simple, lifestyle changes can have a really positive impact on our health and wellbeing, so anything that encourages people to live better, and move more is a good thing. There has been a substantial rise in the number of people who have developed multiple, long-term conditions in recent years, and many of these, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease, are linked to not being active enough.
Over 47,000 signups in the South West
Collectively, and across the South West, 47,632 people have downloaded the Active 10 app in a single month.
The Active 10 App is supported by the RCGP and was developed by PHE in collaboration with the University of Sheffield and the National Centre for Sport and Exercise Medicine.
So do something useful with your smartphone, apart from tweet #BoostTorbay, download the Active 10 App.
