Director for Public Health prescribes regular exercise

Swansea Bay’s Interim Executive Director for Public Health, Gillian Richardson, has shared her thoughts on the importance of regular exercise in keeping us all fit and well as part of the health board’s Active August campaign*.

Her message is obviously not intended for those wishing to play for the likes of the Swans or achieve Olympic glory but targeted firmly at the broader population in a bid to improve our general health and wellbeing.

Regular exercise has been proven time and again to be key in warding off serious illness and helping people live longer, more fulfilling lives – and the good news is you are never too old to start.

Gillian said: “Whatever your age, we have very strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life. It can reduce your risk of serious illnesses, especially from heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.

“And it can actually lower your risk of an early death by up to 30% if you're following the NHS guidance.”

Regular exercise doesn’t only benefit you physically, it can significantly enhance your mental health.

Gillian (pictured left) said: “It's something that will help you with your mood, your sleep, your self-esteem. Exercise and physical activity have the amazing benefit of releasing hormones called endorphins. These ‘happy’ substances help you counteract stress and anxiety, improving your general wellbeing.

“So physically and mentally it has huge benefits.”

Incorporating exercise into your everyday life doesn’t need to be too time consuming but it does need to become regular.

Gillian said: “It doesn't have to be high intensity exercise, and how often depends whether you’re already got exercise in your life, but you should really try to incorporate it into your everyday at the very first level.

“Try parking a little bit further away if you're going to the shop.

“Go for a little walk or take the stairs if you're able to do that.

“Swimming is also very good because there's no pressure on any joints. You’re completely supported in water. Some pools run single gender sessions for those who prefer, and many offer adult ‘learn to swim’ or aqua aerobics

“Some people find that walking with others or doing exercises in classes is helpful because they like to have somebody with them. It keeps their motivation up. There are fantastic offers in our local leisure centres and beautiful outdoor spaces to enjoy.

“There are also exercise on referral schemes offered for those who have physical conditions. Disability Sports Wales and others also promote a variety of sports including for any of us who use wheelchairs or have visual impairments.

“Some find it helpful to do stretching, yoga, dance or Pilates with online options, or in front of the TV with videos. The key is to build something into daily and weekly routine – whatever works for you!

“So really, it's about having a little bit of exercise, very regularly through the week.

“The guidance says to do a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise weekly, preferably spread out over the week.”

Gillian is keen to point out regular activity doesn’t necessarily mean traditional forms of exercising.

She said: “Obviously, team sports such as traditional rugby, football and netball are amazing and motivating for many people, and there are less vigorous options such as walking football and bowling available, but it's by no means just sports.

“Physical activity is so much more and it's just about building it into your daily life really.

“Some people enjoy gardening, some people ride bikes for sport or leisure, it's very much down to personal choice.

“If you're sitting down in your work, it’s important that you get up regularly and walk around. Although standing is healthier than sitting, it's not as good as moving around regularly.

“People also need the pleasure and the mental health aspect of physical activity.

“The social benefits of exercise are really important as well, things like Park Runs help everyone participate and feel a sense of achievement.

“Lots of people join walking clubs, or they’ve got a walking buddy - it's just really good for us to keep everything moving to help delay the ageing process.”

Exercise – and doing it regularly – is the best way of trying to combat the march of time on our bodies.

Gillian said: “It's sort of a case of use it or risk losing it.

“When we're ageing, we're really ‘playing football uphill. As we age, we lose strength in our muscles, we lose density in our bones. But by exercising, we can delay the changes that can come with age.

“We all know people that have exercised all their lives and have kept fit and well because of that.

“It's something to start as young as we can really and make a habit for life. But definitely in our middle years, that's not the time to sit in the chair relaxing, if we are still mobile. That's actually the time to take up more exercise, doing whatever we can.”

* Swansea Bay UHB’s Active August campaign focuses on helping older people move more to boost their overall health and wellbeing.

Keeping patients active is vital to maintaining physical and mental health and reducing the danger of catching infections such as covid, flu and other nasty bugs like hospital acquired pneumonias.

Deconditioning can affect anyone, regardless of age, but its impacts are particularly devastating for older and frail individuals leading them to have a greater risk of falling over when they do stand up and move around.

But it’s not just the elderly we are targeting. It’s an indisputable fact that regular exercise boosts health and wellbeing, no matter what age you are. So we will be encouraging all to make a commitment to be as safely active as they can this August – and beyond.

Whether you fancy saddling up on a bicycle or getting some steps in on two feet there should be a cycle path, route or trail to suit all.

Here are some ideas from our local authority partners.

Swansea

Cycling https://www.swansea.gov.uk/cycling

Gower off-road cycling https://www.swansea.gov.uk/goweroffroadcycling

Walking https://www.swansea.gov.uk/walking

Parks https://www.swansea.gov.uk/parks

Sport and Health https://www.swansea.gov.uk/sportandhealth

NPT

walking https://www.npt.gov.uk/parks-sport-and-leisure/sports-and-activities/walking/

Cycling https://www.npt.gov.uk/parking-roads-and-travel/travel/cycling-and-biking/

Leisure and sport https://www.npt.gov.uk/parks-sport-and-leisure/leisure-centres-and-sport/

Parks https://www.npt.gov.uk/parks-sport-and-leisure/parks-and-outdoor-spaces/