Physical activity
Everyone needs to be active and eat well to maintain a healthy lifestyle. It increases your quality of life and your sense of wellbeing.
Physical activity can reduce your risk of a range of health conditions, and helps you manage the ones you already have.
Remember: Even small increases in physical activity can produce measurable health benefits. It’s never too early or late to start.
Physical activity is:
- sport and recreation
- gardening
- housework
- active transport (eg, walking to the shops, cycling to work or school)
- physical jobs
- structured exercise.
In this section
- Find out how much physical activity will keep you in good health and at what intensity you need to be doing it. Read more
- There are three kinds of physical activity: aerobic, flexibility, and strength. To stay healthy, you want to do them all – find out why, and get some great ideas for how to add them into your life. Read more
- Becoming more active is easier than you think, even if you’ve got a busy lifestyle. Here are some simple tips and ideas on how to add physical activity to your day. Read more
- If you’re not used to physical activity, it can seem tough to get going. Set yourself small goals and make sure you protect yourself from pain and injury – here are some tips on getting started. Read more
- There are lots of good reasons to keep active. Find out more about how physical activity keeps you healthy, especially if you’re getting older or already have a medical condition. Read more
- Five reasons why physical activity gives your children the best start in life. Read more
- Children and young people need to be physically active as often as possible. Find out how physical activity keeps them healthy, and get ideas for fun activities. Read more
- Helping infants, toddlers and young children be active will help them learn and develop. Find out how to encourage them to love movement. Read more
- Staying active is important when you’re getting older (including if you have health conditions). Regular physical activity can improve your health and wellbeing, and make it easier to perform daily tasks. Read more
- Don’t let that screen steal your good health – sedentary lifestyles put us at risk of chronic disease and disability. If we want to stay well, we need to stay physically active. Read more
- Links to organisations and resources to help you get more physically active. Read more
Resources
Be Active Every Day: Physical Activity for Adults
Available from HealthEd
Be Active Every Day: Physical Activity for 5- to 18-year-olds
Available from HealthEd
Physical Activity for Older People factsheet
Available from the Ministry of Health
Page last updated: 30 January 2013
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