National Fitness Day on the 25th September is a chance to focus on the importance that physical activity has in helping us lead healthier and happier lives.
There are events happening across the UK to raise awareness of the importance of fitness, from free taster sessions at gyms and leisure centres to free Zumba classes in town centres. The idea is to spark a national conversation about the benefits, to both the individual and to society as a whole, of leading a more active lifestyle, especially when you consider that inactivity has been listed as a leading cause of preventable diseases.
“In the UK, we are facing a physical inactivity crisis, with evidence from ukactive showing that the average adult spends more time on the toilet every week than exercising and eight times longer watching on-demand TV than exercising.”
www.nationalfitnessday.com
Here at PYBHealth we are always keen to help promote a healthy and active lifestyle to our community in and around Bridgend so ahead of National Fitness Day we have put together some useful information to help encourage you to get moving.
Video Support
Watch this NHS video for ideas on how to keep healthy with 150 minutes of exercise a week.
Walking in Bridgend
One of the easiest ways to get moving is to walk. Walking for 30 minutes a day can increase your cardiovascular fitness and reduce excess body fat. Walking is low impact and can be done at your own pace. Make it a more sociable experience by walking with friends.
Why not take go for a walk at one of our top 5 recommended walking spots around Bridgend?
Swimming in Bridgend
Swimming is another low impact activity that is easily available around Bridgend. Swimming will give you a full body workout because it uses all the muscles in the body, it can de-stress and relax you and is great for your wellbeing.
Here are some links to local pools and swim schools:
• Davies’s Dolphin Swim School
Cycling in Bridgend
Cycling is an aerobic workout that can easily fit into your daily routine. For a 15 minute cycle commute from Monday to Friday you will easily meet the NHS recommended guideline of 150 minutes of exercise per week. Click here for more health benefits of cycling.
You could even join a cycling club in Bridgend.
Running in Bridgend
Perhaps National Fitness Day will make you want to dust off your running shoes. Running is a fantastic way to improve your cardiovascular health as it will improve your aerobic fitness. Running can be more fun with friends and there are plenty of running clubs in our community that will be happy for you to join them – find Bridgend running clubs here
You may have also heard of Park Runs. Our PYB Health Riverside Surgery is now a Parkrun Practice where we actively encourage staff and patients to participate for their overall health and wellbeing.
Gyms in Bridgend
Is it time you joined a gym in Bridgend? If you have been thinking about joining a gym then why not let National Fitness Day be the kick start you need? Here are just some of the gyms in our area:
• Gym4less
• Dynamic Strength and Fitness
Get Moving
National Fitness Day on the 25th September is a chance to think about the amount of physical activity that we do in a day and find ways to increase it. Remember that getting active can and should be fun, and it can help us lead healthier and happier lives and improve our mental well being. So what are you waiting for? Get out there, have fun and get moving!