Whatever your age, there’s strong scientific evidence that being physically active can help you lead a healthier and happier life.
Exercise can reduce your risk of major illnesses, such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer, and lower your risk of early death by up to 30%.
Check physical activity guidelines for:
- children (under 5 years)
- children and young people (5 to 18 years)
- adults (19 to 64 years)
- older adults (65 years and over)
Health benefits
It’s essential to be physically active if you want to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old age.
People who do regular physical activity have a lower risk of:
- coronary heart disease and stroke
- type 2 diabetes
- bowel cancer
- breast cancer in women
- early death
- osteoarthritis
- hip fracture
- falls (among older adults)
- depression
- dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease
Research also shows that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress.