Exercise safety

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Regular exercise is vital for good health. Exercise safety is important to avoid injury and maintain good health. It takes time to increase your overall level of fitness. Training too hard or too fast is a common cause of exercise and sports-related injuries.

• Warm up thoroughly by performing slow, sustained stretches and going through the motions of your sport or activity.
• Always cool down after exercise with plenty of slow stretching.

Stop exercisingimmediately and seek medical advice if you:

• Feel discomfort or pain
• Have chest pain or other pain that could indicate a heart attack, including pain in the neck and jaw, pain travelling down the arm or pain between the shoulder blades
• Experience extreme breathlessness
• Develop a rapid or irregular heartbeat during exercise.

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You can lose around one and a half litres of fluid for every hour of exercise

• Drink three cups of water two hours before exercise.
• Drink two cups of water about 15 minutes before exercise.
• Drink one cup of water every 15 minutes while exercising.
• Drink two cups of water after exercise.

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In cold weather, muscles are more susceptible to injuries.

• Wear appropriate warm clothing.
• Multiple layers of clothing trap more body heat than one bulky layer.
• Devote more time to warming up and stretching before exercising and make sure you undertake a thorough cool-down.
• Keep up your fluid intake, since cold weather prompts fluid loss.
• Don’t forget sun protection – it is possible to be sunburnt even in cold weather, especially at high altitudes or on clear days.

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To stay fit and healthy we need to exercise regularly. You can plan physical activity by doing things like going to the gym or playing sport. You can also do lots of everyday things to help use those kilojoules and keep you fit.

The car

• Walk to the corner shops instead of driving.
• Cycle to work one or two days every week.
• Walk to the bus stop or train station, and catch public transport to work.
• If taking the bus or tram, get off one stop early and walk the rest of the way.
• Park the car a fair distance from the entrance of the shops and walk, rather than parking right out front.
• Wash and vacuum the car yourself instead of taking it to a car wash.

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• Take the stairs instead of the lift.
• Use at least half of your lunch break for a brisk walk, even if it is only 10-15 minutes.
• Stretch at your desk.
• When you need to talk to a colleague, don’t use the phone or internal email - get up from your desk and walk over to them.
• If your job involves sitting at a desk all day, make sure you get up and walk around for a few minutes every hour.

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• You might enjoy the housework a little more if you think about all the kilojoules you’re burning while pushing the vacuum and mop around.
• Listen to your favourite music or the radio and dance around the house.
• Play actively with your children.
• Walk the dog more often, or make your usual walk 10 minutes or so longer.
• Get stuck into your garden. Mow, rake leaves and get some planting done.
• Incorporate a few more physical activities into your family’s leisure time; for example, you could take the children to the park or kick a ball around the backyard.