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Whittle away
your excess weight with walking!
Walking
is one of the easiest ways to keep physically active and helps
maintain a healthy weight at the same time, according to the
Health Promotion Agency which is running a television advertising
campaign to encourage the public to get active and 'Go
walking'.
Siobhan
Weir, Regional Health Promotion Manager for Physical Activity,
said: "Research shows that walking a mile briskly uses the
same energy as running a mile and regular physical activity
can reduce weight by as much as 1 stone in 3 months. This
is great news for people watching their weight and for those
people who don't have time to either go to the gym or take
part in organised activities.
"Physical
activity is good for both the body and the mind with experts
now agreeing that it can promote positive mental wellbeing
and reduce stress.
To really reap the benefits aim to walk briskly so that you
are feeling warmer and slightly out of breath.
"If
people were offered a medicine and told it would reduce their
risk of heart disease, stroke, diabetes, osteoporosis and
certain cancers, everyone would want it. That magic medicine
exists, it's called physical activity and only takes 30 minutes
a day on five days a week!"
If
you are trying to lose weight the best way to do this is not
only to be physically active but to keep an eye on what you
eat as well. Angela McComb, Regional Health Promotion Manager
for Nutrition, said: "Being overweight can increase the risk
of many health problems including heart disease, some cancers,
diabetes and raised blood pressure. It can also aggravate
other problems like arthritis, joint pain, breathing difficulties
and snoring.
"Be
realistic about what you want to achieve and then set an attainable
target. Even a moderate weight loss of 1-1½ stones (5-10kg)
can help reduce many of the problems associated with being
overweight. Remember, you probably put the weight on over
several months or years so it won't disappear overnight! Research
shows that combining changes in your diet with increasing
physical activity will help you to lose weight but more importantly
to keep it off."
Physical
activity is widely accepted as being beneficial to health
yet only a minority of the population here achieves the recommended
levels of physical activity. The current recommendation for
adults is to do at least 30 minutes of moderate activity (e.g.
brisk walking) on most days of the week. This activity can
be accumulated in bouts of 10 minutes three times a day.
Siobhan
concluded: "There are more opportunities than ever before
for people to be more physically active. Many Health Boards
and Trusts and local Councils in Northern Ireland have established
Volunteer Walking Leaders to support people who want to know
how and where they can enjoy walking safely."
End
Notes
to the editor: At
present seven out of ten men and eight out ten women do not
take enough physical activity to benefit their health.
To
encourage everyone to get moving 149 cash grants have been
awarded to local groups that are providing opportunities for
people to be more active. Seven hundred and fifty five organisations
throughout Northern Ireland applied for grants in the Get
active in the community awards scheme set up to encourage
people to be more active, more often.
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