Staying active

If you are inactive, you are more likely to have a heart attack than someone who is active.

Being active provides long term benefits for your heart health and general health.

It helps control your weight, reduce blood pressure and cholesterol and improve your mental health – helping you to look and feel great.

Studies suggest that being physically active in middle age can increase your life expectancy by two years, the same benefit as giving up smoking.

Your heart is a muscle and needs exercise to help it keep fit so that it can pump blood efficiently around your body.

Many health problems can be helped by regular physical activity. But if you do have a health problem, or have a condition that you're taking prescribed medication for, you should check the amount and type of activity that is suitable with your GP.

If you do have a heart condition, or are at high risk of developing heart disease, you can also read our Physical activity and your heart booklet.

What kind of activity is good for my heart?

Being physically active doesn’t have to mean long gym sessions or strenuous work-out regimes.

The type of activity that helps your heart most is called aerobic activity. Aerobic activity is a repetitive rhythmic exercise involving large muscle groups such as your legs, shoulders and arms.

You could go swimming, take exercise classes or play a sport, but physical activity also includes everyday things like walking, gardening and climbing stairs.

You can reap the benefits of being more active from all sorts of physical activity - any increase will be good for your health.

Be sure to include activities that will help strengthen muscles at least twice a week. This could be exercising with weights, working with resistance bands, heavy gardening or carrying shopping.

How do I get started?

Getting started is easier than you think. Changing a few daily habits can soon add up to a more active you. Be active every day. Every 10 minutes counts.

If you don't think you can squeeze anything else into your day, see if you can reduce the time you spend sitting still and free up time to be active.

You should aim to build up to a total of 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity each week. Moderate intensity activity will make you feel warmer, breathe harder and make your heart beat faster than usual. But, you should still be able to carry on a conversation.

Remember to stop exercising if you feel any pain or discomfort.

It’s never too late to start

Everyone can benefit from getting physical – whatever your age, size or physical condition. Just remember that you are never too old or too unfit to start doing something.

The good news is that inactive people that start to do moderate physical activity feel the biggest health benefits. Your health risks will decrease as soon as you start to do more!

Top tips to help you stay active

Being active is great for keeping your heart healthy and, along with eating a healthy diet, can help you to manage your weight.

And it’s not just good for your heart – physical activity also makes you look and feel great.

Small changes add up

If 150 minutes of physical activity all at once seems like a lot to start with, try starting off with a couple of ten minute sessions throughout the day.

Remember the positives

You'll soon feel the benefits when you become more active. You'll feel fitter, have more energy, be more relaxed and have more confidence.

Keep it real

Set yourself realistic goals that are specific and achievable. For example, set a goal to walk 30 minutes every day or learn how to swim.

Make a diary date

Plan a time to do some physical activity that fits in with the rest of your day and try keeping a diary to help monitor your progress and success. If you miss a day, don't worry - just make sure you start again the next day.

Keep on your toes!

Remember, everyday activities count, so look out for opportunities to be active during the day.

For example, use the stairs instead of the escalators, walk to the local shop rather than taking the car and do some stretches when watching TV. Every little counts!

Have fun

Choose activities that you enjoy to help you achieve your goals and keep you motivated. Why not give ballroom dancing, tennis, trampolining, yoga or pilates a try?

Get a buddy

Involve friends and family to make activities more fun, sociable and enjoyable. Go jogging with a friend and support and motivate each other, take the children swimming or join an exercise class.

Mix it up

Make a list of enjoyable activities, such as dancing and yoga, and place them in a jar. Pick a different activity to do each week. By varying your activities, you are less likely to get bored and lose interest.

Use reminders

Prompt yourself to be more physically active by keeping reminders around the house. Put Post-it notes on the fridge door or by the kettle, place your cycling helmet on your dressing table or put your walking shoes near the door.

Check your progress

Use a pedometer to count your steps to show you how well you're doing.

Walking is an ideal activity as it's free and easy to do anywhere. You could walk your children to school and back every day, take the dog for a walk or find a local park and go walking with a friend.

Reward yourself

Recognise when you achieve your goals. Think of things that you could reward yourself with, like a copy of your favourite magazine, a new pair of trainers or a massage.

Products to help you achieve your goals

Our online shop sells special watches - one version for men and another for women - to monitor your heart rate and the calories you've burnt as you exercise.

They also measure your step and distance, so you can push yourself to go that bit further next time you exercise. In short, helping you to achieve your short and long term fitness and weight-loss goals.