Vascular Disease Awareness Week – the perfect opportunity to start a new regime!

Did you know that building more exercise into your life can increase your life expectancy?

There are other benefits too, such as:

  • lower risk of many chronic diseases, like heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke and some cancers
  • a boost to your self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy
  • reduced risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

And of course, vastly improved vascular health!

Some easy-to-do exercises at home for healthy legs of any age, are covered in our vascular health section, but it’s worth reading the NHS guidelines below if you’re not familiar with them.

The recommended weekly physical activity for an adult is 150 minutes, regardless of how old you are, but of course, if you have any existing medical conditions, consult your doctor first.

NHS guidelines say that all adults should be doing:

150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week. For example:

  • walking fast
  • water aerobics
  • riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
  • basketball
  • doubles tennis
  • pushing a lawn mower
  • hiking
  • skateboarding
  • rollerblading
  • volleyball

AND

Muscle-strengthening activities on two or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). This doesn’t require a gym membership and can include:

  • carrying or moving heavy loads such as groceries
  • activities that involve stepping and jumping such as dancing
  • heavy gardening, such as digging or shovelling
  • exercises that use your body weight for resistance, such as push-ups or sit-ups
  • yoga
  • lifting weights
More vigour, less time

You can cut your 150 minutes in half by making your activity more vigorous, such as:

  • jogging or running
  • swimming fast
  • riding a bike fast or on hills
  • singles tennis
  • football
  • rugby
  • skipping
  • hockey
  • aerobics
  • gymnastics
  • martial arts

For a host of tips and tools on getting fit, visit the NHS website