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If You Still Need Convincing Of The Benefits ...

• Regular participation in physical activity is associated with raised self-esteem in children and adults.
• Combined with healthy eating, regular physical activity is one of the most effective means of managing mild moderate obesity.
• Regular endurance exercise has been found to lower blood pressure by 10mmHg in men and women with mild hypertension.
• A low level of physical activity is one of the important causes of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD). In addition, physical activity programmes can reduce the risk of mortality after a heart attack by 20%.
• Physical activity has been shown to have many beneficial effects in later life, including improvements in balance, co-ordination, mobility, strength and endurance and in the control of chronic disease.
• Weight bearing exercise helps to maintain bone mass. In its absence there is a clear increase in the risk of developing osteoporosis.
• There is evidence to suggest that physical activity helps to defer or prevent the development of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus.
• The most sedentary people have been found to have between 1.2-3.6 times the colon cancer risk of the most physically active.
• It has been estimated that just under one third of all CHD incidence and 1/4 of stroke incidence could be avoided by appropriate exercise. In those aged 45 and over, just under 1/4 of non-insulin dependent diabetes and just over half the hip fractures could be avoided.
• Higher levels of physical activity are associated with lower all-cause mortality in populations.
• It has been estimated that if the whole population exercised adequately, the average annual exercise-related medical cost would be less than £10 per person for people aged 45 or over, while the cost avoided would be more than £30.