The benefits of exercise are typically well known:

• Weight control
• Combats certain health conditions and diseases
• Improves mood
• Improves energy
• Better sleep
• Reduced isolation and enhanced social bonds

However, regular formal exercise (gym, football squad, athletics club) isn’t always what people want or can realistically aim for. All is not lost!

Recent research has shown that non-exercise physical activity (NEPA) also comes with a multitude of health benefits resulting in good cardiovascular health and longevity*.
*(Ekblom-Bak et al. The importance of non exercise physical activity. British Journal of Sports Medicine.)

NEPA basically means moving more and it doesn’t really matter how!

You could:

• Walk from A to B (especially if a journey is less than 1 mile)
• Cycle from A to B (especially if the journey is less than 4 miles)
• Get off the bus or train a stop early
• Stand instead of sit (standing is much harder than sitting)
• Take the stairs instead of the lift
• Wash your car manually
• Garden
• Walk the dog (you could always borrow one if you haven’t got your own!)
• Enjoy active leisure pursuits like bowling and ice skating

Just one word of warning – housework barely counts, and there is some suggestion that the biscuits you munch in between tasks may undo any good work!