Activity and rewards

Sometimes simply the word ‘exercise’ can make you feel like binning your Reeboks and reaching for your slippers!

But then of course, the more unfit you are, the more weight you put on, and the less you want to exercise - it becomes a bit of a vicious circle.

The facts are that when you are active you burn more energy. This is when your body starts to use up its fat stores. It also starts to build muscle tissue, and this increases your metabolism. (Your metabolism is the speed at which your body burns calories.)

This improves your general fitness levels and helps to keep your weight on an even keel.

So where do I start?

When you’re unfit, suddenly doing a lot of exercise can leave you feeling stiff and sore which can put you right off. This is why you have to be a bit careful when you first start out.

The best way is to ease into it gently. If you are overweight you need to speak to your GP before starting any new exercise programme. Try to do a little bit more each time so that your body gets used to it. It’s also a very good idea to do some stretches or warming up exercises first. Stretching stops you putting a strain on your muscles so you don’t feel uncomfortable while you’re exercising. And hopefully then you won’t feel sore afterwards.

If you do feel like it’s a bit of a struggle the first few times, don’t be put off or lose heart. It’s true that each time you exercise it’s likely to be easier and you’ll enjoy it more.

Also, don’t forget that there are lots of things that are considered exercise that you may not be counting. Exercise includes anything that gets you a little bit out of breath. So things like:

• Walking, the simplest and cheapest form of exercise! Try walking to school or college instead of going in the car
• Joining in with sports and games in breaks at school;
• Taking the stairs instead of the lazy lift
• Getting off the bus a few stops early and walking the extra distance.