Get Active!
The benefits of being active for physical and mental health are huge. Being active helps release chemicals in your brain (endorphins), which have a positive effect on your mood, not to mention the benefits to your heart, lungs, muscles and bones. Getting out and being active is also a great way to manage stress.
Physical activity is for everyone.
Regular physical activity can help you reduce the risk of developing diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. For children and young people being active helps reduce their risk of developing these diseases in later life too. Increased levels of physical activity will help reduce body fat and maintain a healthy weight.
Being active is fun for all the family. Research shows that children whose parents are active are more than 5 times as likely to be active than those whose parents are not.
For more health benefits, you should increase your aerobic activity to 60 minutes a day of moderate activity 5 days a week.
Visit Get Active on Facebook
The http://www.getirelandactive.ie/ site was initially developed to promote the National Physical Activity guidelines. The site has been further developed to become a one-stop shop for physical activity information. The aim of the revised website is to encourage people to become more physically active by creating awareness of the opportunities for physical activity at local, regional and national levels. It also contains lots of information on physical activity: the benefits, how to get started, tips to stay motivated etc.
Exercise Referral From Your GP
The GP Exercise Referral Programme is a 12 week programme to help you develop a physically active lifestyle. Qualified Local Coordinators who have completed the HSE National Training Course are running the programme from facilities across Ireland.
Your programme, your rules!
There are many different ways to get active. Your Local Coordinator is qualified to recommend activities that are most suitable to benefit you. Your Coordinator will work with you to find out your likes and dislikes over time so as you progress your programme becomes tailored specifically for you. Below are some examples of the 'activity sessions' that you may try as part of your programme. You will not be asked to do anything you don't want to do, remember, it's YOUR programme, so it's YOUR rules!