PHA Encourages Active Lifestyles In The New Year

The Public Health Agency (PHA) is urging people to get more active in 2025.

Gerard Walls, Senior Health and Social Wellbeing Officer at the PHA, emphasised the importance of physical activity for both physical and mental health.

He highlighted that regular exercise can help improve mood, reduce stress, and lower the risk of chronic diseases.

The PHA encourages people to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines, such as playing with children, walking, cycling, or gardening.

Tips on increasing your physical activity

• Try to find an activity that you enjoy as you are then more likely to continue doing it.

• Get active with a friend or a family member, this can motivate you to start and stay active.

• Try walking or cycling for either part of, or your entire, daily commute. If you are working from home aim for a walk before or after work, or during lunchtime.

• If you have to drive or take the bus, park the car a little further away from your destination or hop off the bus a stop or two earlier and walk the rest of the way.

• When you're out and about take the stairs instead of the lift to get your legs moving.

• Make activity part of your daily routine, break up long periods of inactivity during the day by getting active in shorter bursts. A 10-minute brisk walk adds to your recommended physical activity target and will help you feel better.

• When you get home in the evening, instead of spending the evening in front of the TV, get active. Get the kids involved too and go to the park with them on their bikes or for a kick about with the football. • Play active games with the kids, dance, go into the garden if you've got one.

• Consider joining a local walking group. See www.pha.site/WalkingGroups for info.

• Try to find out what activity clubs and programmes are in your area, whether its sports, recreational, social or programme based, most communities will have a range of local clubs and programmes that can help you get active locally in fun and social environments.

• Try some short workouts at home, the NHS Live Well website offers advice about healthy living, including eating a balanced diet, healthy weight, exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol, visit www.nhs.uk/live-well

Gerard Walls continued: "One of the simplest ways to get active is to increase your step count and get out for a walk when you can. Walking is completely free and can be done in your leisure time or be added into your daily routine through small things like walking to the shop, school or work instead of taking the car. If you get the bus, try getting off a stop early and walking the rest of the way.

"Walking has great health benefits. A brisk walk can reduce anxiety, help manage your weight, reduce blood pressure and help you sleep better. The average number of steps a person takes each day is between 3,000 and 4,000 so, for those who are able, being a bit more active could boost those numbers."

For more tips and advice on getting active, setting yourself achievable targets and eating healthier, visit www.ChooseToLiveBetter.com