Exercise:

Improves your mood. Physical activity stimulates brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed than you were before you worked out.

As you begin to look and feel better, you boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem.

Regular physical activity can help prevent depression.

Combats chronic disease:

Exercise helps manage high blood pressure

Regular physical activity boosts HDL (high-density lipoprotein, the “good” cholesterol, while decreasing triglycerides. Your blood keeps flowing smoothly by lowering the build up of plaques in your arteries.

Helps you manage:

A dedicated physical activity time is great to help burn calories and manage your weight. But any physical activity you do, like a walk during your lunch break, accumulates and helps you burn calories. Accumulate exercise activity into small spaces in your day. If you’re moving, it counts.

Boosts energy levels:

Regular physical activity delivers oxygen and nutrients to your body tissue and helps the circulation of blood through your heart and blood vessels to work more efficiently = more energy.

Exercise early in the day – it gives you energy!

Promotes better sleep:

Sleep improves concentration, productivity and your mood. Regular physical activity helps you to fall asleep faster and to sleep deeper. If you have trouble sleeping, exercise earlier in the day.

Puts a spark in your sex life:

Men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction, than men who don’t – especially as they get older.

Can be fun:

Choose physical activity that is fun and fits your lifestyle eg. a game of footy with the kids, a day tramp, or a walk in the park, rollerblading or a neighbourhood challenge of touch rugby.

Activity (1 hour duration)	Weight of the person and calories burned
	73 kilograms 160 pounds	91 kilograms 200 pounds	109 kilograms 240 pounds
Football, Touch	584	728	872
Rollerblading	913	1,138	1,363
Tramping	438	546	654
Walking 3.5mph	277	346	414

Health Challenges

Challenge 1:

Re-configure how you think. Exercise can become a regular part of your daily routine.

How can you take more steps in your day?
Get a pedometer. Measure how many steps you take on an average day. Check your lifestyle type and work out ways to up the number of steps you take each day.

Adding a half hour of walking to your day, will result in 2000-3000 more steps per day.

Classification of pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults

Steps per day	Lifestyle Type	Description
Under 5000	Sedentary lifestyle
5,000-7,499	Low active	Excludes sports / exercise
7,500-9,999	Somewhat active	Includes some exercise or walking and/or a job that requires more walking
10,000	Active
12,500+	Highly active

Send us your suggestions for taking more steps in your day.
Ideas include:

• Build in a way of walking to work: park further away, take the stairs

  Activity (1 hour duration)	Weight of the person and calories burned
  	73 kilograms 160 pounds	91 kilograms 200 pounds	109 kilograms 240 pounds
  Walking 3.2ks / 2mph	183	228	273
  Walking 5.6ks / 3.5mph	277	346	414

Challenge 2: The Commercial Break

The way you spend the TV commercial break can improve your health. We recommend using this time to put extra physical activity into your day. It benefits YOU, your health and your family. Get everyone involved.

Send us your suggestions for burning calories during commercial breaks.

Ideas like:

• Push-ups, sit-ups or star jumps during a TV commercial break can give you some additional time for extra physical activity.

Challenge 3: The Sugar Hit

The aim of this challenge is to cut your sugar intake in simple steps. For two weeks, reduce the number of teaspoons of sugar (or their equivalent) that you put into your body. Cutting your sugar intake has great benefits for your health.

One teaspoon is measure of four grams of sugar.

Carbonated drinks (pop or fizzy) contain sugars in forms like fructose (a fruit sugar).
Q: What is the sugar equivalent in one can of pop?
A: There are approximately 10 teaspoons of sugar in a 355ml can.

Send us your suggestions for reducing sugar intake.
Ideas include:

• Go without sugar in your tea or coffee for two weeks. Most people don’t go back, or they cut their intake dramatically.

Challenge 4: Run a "High Energy List"

Rank the items on your 'to do list' by the physical activity required to complete them. High energy items could include: washing the car, digging the garden, mowing the lawn.