Activate guide
The easy to use guide to getting – and keeping – active!
Use both points under each of the letters, or just one dependant upon your space availability – the ACTIVATE Guide works just as well in both cases.
The guide has been produced by fitness expert Matt Barker on behalf of the UK’s leading action adventure group, Spice.
A
Activity is the key to health and well being. Move more and you will feel fitter, healthier and more energetic. One piece of research has shown that replacing 20 minutes of sitting with 20 minutes of walking around (even pottering around the house), daily for a year, will result in 12 lb (6kg) weight loss, without making any other lifestyle changes!
Actions speak louder than words. Don’t just read this, do something NOW to improve your posture, make a healthier food or drink choice at your next meal, or to choose the active option next time you’re faced with stairs or the lift.
C
Choice. There are a multitude of choices of how to be active. You could join a gym, but you might also consider rambling, mountaineering, canoeing, ice skating, swimming, horse riding, netball, rock climbing, cycling tours, ballroom dancing, belly dancing, volleyball, mountain biking, orienteering or just about anything that involves moving about!
Challenge. Setting a clear goal can really help to sustain your motivation. Whether this is to complete a charity mountain climb, run that marathon you’ve always thought about, or book a place on a cycling holiday around France.
T
Time. The reason most people don’t get started, or give up with their efforts is that they don’t think they have much time. Being active needn’t be time consuming. 3 brisk walks of 10 minutes each day on the way to work, to the sandwich shop during lunch, then on the way home will soon have you feeling more vibrant. Add in a weekend fun activity and you’ll soon be on top of the world (especially if that activity is mountaineering!).
Travel. Try using exercise as a mode of transport. Building activity into your daily routine will help you to develop habits you can sustain. Buy the right kit to enable you to cycling or walk to work (at least part of the way) in comfort. You’ll save money in the long term, get fit, keep the weight off and help protect the environment, all in one go!
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Inspire. Take the time to inspire yourself. Read an inspirational story. Listen to a motivational CD. Find some uplifting music. Anything that lifts your spirits and puts you in the mood for movement.
Information. There are a number of sources of good quality information (beware of the short cut salesmen) and become a student of your chosen area. Even find some expert coaching and make a commitment to mastering your chosen activity. For example, don’t just be a rambler, be the best rambler you can be!
V
Vitality. What is the value to you of being healthy and filled with energy in the future? Being active will, in the short term, boost your energy levels, and, in the long term, help prevent many of the diseases associated with a sedentary lifestyle.
Variety. Build up an array of activities that you can use in any given situation. People who have a ‘what if’ plan and know how to respond when a barrier to being active stands in their path are more likely to overcome this obstacle and stay active. For example, if you don’t have time to get to the gym on Tuesday, how can you find time for a 20 minute brisk walk?
A
Ask for help. Personal trainers, fitness instructors, Internet fitness sites, your friends and family can all be helpful sources of support, advice and encouragement. Find a group activity and the other people in the group will help keep you on track. People who join group activities are more likely to stick to them than people who try to be more active alone.
Aerobic activity. Aerobic literally means, using oxygen. Aerobic activity is any movement involving the larger muscle groups in your body, which raises your heart rate, and can get you slightly breathless and a little sweaty. If you work beyond your aerobic capacity, that’s when exercise can start to hurt. So, work at a steady level that is enough to leave you a little breathless, but not gasping for air.
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Talk Test. To exercise at the right effort level to achieve significant improvements in health and fitness the Talk Test can be a useful guide. If you can sing while you exercise you’re probably not working hard enough, if you’re croaking during exercise you’re probably exercising too hard, while if you can talk but occasionally have to pause to catch your breath, you’re at about the right effort level to achieve fitness improvements.
Team. People who get support from people who are important to them and people who join a group of people who share their interest are more likely to sustain an active lifestyle. Build a team of people around you who will encourage and support your efforts to do more. Tell them what you’re doing and ask them to be your cheerleaders!
E
Ease yourself into it. Check with your GP before getting started if you have any doubts at all about your suitability for exercise. Especially if you have been inactive for a long time, or have not had your health checked in the last 2 years, it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Engage your mind as well as your body. Time for activity need not be down time away from work or ‘real life’. For many, their most creative thoughts come when they are digging the garden, and their best problem solving is done while pedalling their bike, and they feel at their most relaxed when canoeing down the river.
