Longevity and quality of life: The importance of exercise on health

Exercise should form part of our normal day-to-day activities.

But - we should enjoy the process of exercise and we should enjoy the benefits from doing the exercise. Exercise should never become a chore, or something you really don't want to do.

So when you are thinking about your "normal" life, how can you incorporate some form of exercise into your day?

Walk at lunchtime. Lets face it, most of us sit down for far too long every day, so adding a lunch time walk every day can help. Not only do we get out of the office, we get to move and keep our circulation at peak levels. In fact walking for 30 minutes a day has been proven to be one of the cheapest and easiest forms of exercise we can do, so if you can - walk to the shops rather than take the car (it also saves you buying too much if you have to carry it home).

Take the stairs. If you have the option of lifts / escalators vs stairs - take the stairs. Stair climbing is great for the legs and butt, as you get fitter the faster you can climb them.

Cycle to work. If you can do so safely, cycling is a great way to get fit and get exercise whilst not making drastic changes to your daily activities. It may take you a little longer to get there, but the benefits can be immense.

Our muscles need to move, the tendons holding the muscle to the bones need to be put under pressure to ensure they keep the muscle where they should be. And our bones need exercise. For women this is especially true as we age, our hormones change and we lose bone density and we may eventually suffer from osteoporosis. Exercise and in particular strength exercise (weight training) can stop this happening which means you will be less prone to brittle bones as you age.

One final thought to consider - do you remember what kinds of exercise you enjoyed during your school / uni years? If you really enjoy doing something, you will want to do it and procrastination and the "I can't be bothered to exercise today syndrome" cannot kick in.