Happiness through motivation

Learning about the benefits of exercise can help get your mind motivated and your feet moving. What does regular exercise do for your health? What kinds of activities should you do? How much is enough? “How much do you really know about being active? Try the following quiz and find out” Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life

Females in the age group of years may require calories depending on the amount of physical activity and age What is a calorie? A unit equal to the kilocalorie used to express the heat output of an organism and the fuel or energy value of food.

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How many servings of fruit and vegetables should you eat each day? Three or four to 20

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5 A DAY highlights the health benefits of getting five 80g portions of fruit and vegetables every day. That’s five portions of fruit and veg altogether, not five portions of each. Five reasons to get five portions Fruit and vegetables taste delicious and there's so much variety to choose from. They're a good source of vitamins and minerals, including folate, vitamin C and potassium. They're an excellent source of dietary fibre, which helps maintain a healthy gut and prevent constipation and other digestion problems. A diet high in fibre can also reduce your risk of bowel cancer. They can help reduce the risk of heart disease, stroke and some cancers. Fruit and vegetables contribute to a healthy and balanced diet. Fruit and vegetables are part of a balanced diet and can help us stay healthy. That’s why it so important that we get enough of them

Which of the following exercises build stronger bones? Dancing Rowing Cycling

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You are correct dancing is involved with many things take a look at this graph, so you have an insight. Calorie burning activity15 min1 hour Ballet or modern, twist, jazz, tap, Aerobic, general94374 Ballroom, dancing fast60238 Traditional American Indian dancing General dancing Including Greek, Middle Eastern, hula, flamenco, belly, and swing dancing Ballroom, slow34136 Aerobic, low impact68272 As you can see there are many sports involved and just 15 minutes of your time can be very effective

Protein is found in many of your favourite foods including pizza, burgers and chicken. What is the main reason your body needs protein? To build and maintain body tissue To build and maintain body tissue To increase blood flow to the heart To increase blood flow to the heart To clear out wax from the inner ear To clear out wax from the inner ear

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Protein is needed by the body for only two reasons: growth and tissue repair and replacement. Protein is not necessary for muscular energy, increased activity or as a source of fuel. Without protein our body cannot function properly Protein comes from meat, fish, eggs, cheese and milk Vegetarians can get protein from alternatives such as beans, pulses (lentils, kidney beans etc.) and soya. Protein is especially important at certain times, such as the rapid growth spurt in teenage years

Is it a form of dancing What is resistance exercises? include the use of free weights, wrist weights include the use of free weights, wrist weights

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Resistance exercises include the use of free weights, wrist weights, weighted vests, exercise bands and weight machines found at gyms and health clubs. You can also do this type of exercise in your home without any special equipment, using your body as the resistance. For example, grasping the arms of a chair and using your arms and shoulders to gradually lift yourself up and lower yourself down is a resistance exercise. Wall and doorway pushes are other examples. Resistance exercises use muscular strength to improve muscle mass and strengthen bone. They are also called muscle-strengthening exercises

What is a major health benefit of exercise? Look good looking Look good looking less likely to get ill and more likely to live longer less likely to get ill and more likely to live longer You can build confidence You can build confidence

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Regular exercise is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. People who lead an active life are less likely to get ill and more likely to live longer. Exercise not only makes you physically fitter, it also improves your mental health and general sense of wellbeing Its important that physical activity is a part of life for children, adults and older people. It doesn’t have to be a vigorous workout – you can find ways to fit being active into your daily routine, such as walking. Keeping physically active can help prevent major illnesses. Some of the health benefits of exercise are described below

How much water do experts reckon people should drink every day? 1 to 4 litres 10 litres 20 litres

Your body needs water or other fluids to work properly and to avoid dehydration. Most healthy adults need between one and a half to three litres a day, so aim to drink six to eight medium glasses of fluid daily. Beverages such as tea, coffee and fruit juices count towards fluid intake, and may bring with them other nutrients or benefits. You can judge whether you're drinking enough by the colour of your urine. If it's a pale straw colour then your fluid intake is probably fine. If your urine is dark yellow, you probably need to drink more. End of quiz

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Why most of us should eat fewer calories Common Topics How much should you eat? How much are you eating? How you can eat less Get more active Did you find the quiz useful? Did you learn something new? You can carry on your interest by looking at these topics

How much should you eat? The amount that you need to eat to maintain your body weight depends on a range of factors, including your size and how physically active you are. As a guide the average man needs around 2,500 calories a day to maintain a healthy body weight, and the average woman needs around 2,000 calories a day. Remember, if you are very physically active because of the type of job you do, or you are a professional athlete, you may need more calories than this to maintain a healthy weight. If you do very little physical activity – for example, you are housebound – or if you are overweight or obese, you may need fewer calories. An important part of a healthy diet is eating the right amount of calories, so that you balance the energy you put into your body with the energy you use. If you need to lose weight, aim to lose about 0.5-1kg (1-2Ib) a week until you reach a healthy weight for your height. You should be able to lose this amount if you eat and drink about 500 to 600 calories fewer a day than you need. A healthy diet is not only about eating the right amount. It also means eating a wide range of foods, to ensure you get all the nutrients you need. You can still eat less when following a balanced diet. Learn more about a balanced diet in The eat well plate. Go back

How much are you eating? Most of us are eating and drinking more than we need, and we often think we are more active than we actually are, too. It is estimated that the average person eats around 10% more calories than they need every day. This might not sound much, but over time it will cause significant weight gain. Foods and drinks that are high in fat or sugar contain lots of calories, and eating or drinking these often or in large amounts can make it easy to have more calories than you need. If you are overweight or obese, you could be eating over 500 calories more than a person of a healthy weight does every day. So it’s time to think about where your extra calories are coming from, and to make changes to your diet to reduce the number of calories you consume. It is likely that it’s not just one snack, meal or drink that you need to change: you are likely to be having more calories than you need across the whole day. Go back

You can reduce the number of calories you eat by making healthier choices when it comes to food and drink. Often, that will mean swapping high fat or high-sugar foods for alternatives that contain fewer calories, or eating these foods in smaller portions or less often. And its not just foods: drinks can be high in calories, too. To consume fewer calories you should choose drinks that are lower in fat and sugar or consume high-calorie drinks less often. Don't forget alcohol is also high in calories. As well as choosing foods and drinks lower in fat and sugars, also think about reducing the size of your portions. Research suggests that we tend to eat more when we are served more, even when we don’t need the extra calories. When serving yourself at home resist filling your plate, and think about if you are really hungry before having an extra helping. When eating out, avoid supersizing or choosing large portions of food or drink. Knowing the calorie content of different foods and drinks can be useful when it comes to achieving or maintaining a healthy weight. It can help us to keep track of the amount of energy we put into our bodies, and ensure that we are not eating too much. The calorie content of many foods and drinks is provided on the packaging as part of the nutrition label. You can look at the calorie figure to assess how a particular food or drink fits into your daily intake. Find out more in Understanding calories. Understanding calories These tips can help you to get started: Swap sugary fizzy drinks for diet versions with low or no calories. Even better, swap some soft drinks for sparkling water with a slice of lemon. How you can eat less Go back

Get more active If you are overweight or obese, you should combine eating fewer calories with more physical activity in order to gradually lose weight and help you to keep the weight off. Adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week. Moderate-intensity activity means an activity that causes your heart rate to rise, and you to break a sweat: for example, fast walking or cycling. You can split the 150 minutes into 30 minutes on five days of the week, and split that 30 minutes into sessions of at least 10 minutes. Physical activity can help you to achieve a healthy weight, and brings a range of other important health benefits. After getting active, remember not to reward yourself with a treat that is high in calories. If you feel hungry from your activity try to choose foods or drinks that are lower in calories but still filling Learn more visit NHS Go back