Benefits of physical activity

Physical activity keeps your heart healthy by:

• Significantly reducing the risk of heart disease and stroke in women
• Reducing high blood pressure, and maintaining healthy blood pressure
• Helping to manage a good weight balance and reducing the risk of obesity
• Reducing cholesterol levels

And also has other benefits of:

• Improving psychological health
• Reducing levels of stress: physical activity is key for the head, as it is for the heart
• Improving blood circulation
• Giving you more energy
• Improving your sleep
• Protecting you against chronic illness and other diseases
• Physical activity can also contribute to building self-esteem and confidence and can provide a vehicle for social integration and equality for women in society

How much exercise should I do?

Did you know?

• Insufficient physical activity is the 4th leading risk factor for CVD mortality
• 3.2 million deaths are attributable to insufficient physical activity each year across the globe
• People who are insufficiently active have 20 – 30% increased risk of all-cause mortality
• 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week reduces the risk of heart disease by 30% and the risk of diabetes by 27%
• Urbanization and urban environments may discourage physical activity and encourage sedentary habits. Construction of cities must promote transport by foot and by bike rather than by car to encourage daily physical activity and cities must be built with enough safe green spaces for children’s recreational activities.

Tips to get moving

Women and physical activity: a gendered issue

Despite the fact that one in three women will die from cardiovascular disease, many women don’t know they are at risk and fail to take action to protect their heart. Being more active could be a good place to start!

Women are usually less physically active than their male counterparts. Several factors hinder the participation of women in physical activity, but they are not a fatality:

• Busy schedule… Many women struggle to find time to exercise, as they often have to manage most of the domestic work. Try to fit a moment of physical activity during the day: walk to pick up children from school, sign up for a class at lunch time, go play outside with your family
• Money… Women tend to have a lower income, and the cost of access to physical activity can be a barrier. There are plenty of options to be active at no costs, starting with walking
• Representations… cultural expectations may restrict the participation of women in certain forms of physical activity. Even if your environment prevents you from participating in a specific sport, there is often other options to explore. And you may also be the one starting a trend: while many women still don’t imagine playing football, it is now the number one sport for women in the United Kingdom.

Football and women