It’s Women’s Health Week, and we want to remind Australian women that exercise is powerful stuff for their physical and mental health. Physical activity a vital for keeping you happy, healthy and strong.
Benefits of exercise for women’s health
The value of exercise cannot be overstated when it comes to women’s health. Here are five reasons to make exercise a priority in your life:
1. It reduces your risk of dementia
Dementia is the single biggest killer of Australian Women. A recent report released by the World Health Organisation suggested that exercise is one of the most powerful tools in reducing your risk of developing this debilitating condition.
Read more: Can HIIT training fight dementia?
2. It’s great for reproductive health
Exercise is beneficial for those trying to fall pregnant, as well as during and after pregnancy. Being active and living a healthy lifestyle helps to manage your weight, and those who are a health weight have less difficulty conceiving.
Exercise, when prescribed by a qualified professional, is both safe and beneficial during pregnancy. In fact, research has shown mothers who exercise during pregnancy are less likely to have overweight children. Babies born to active mothers also develop better motor skills.
3. It reduces your risk of breast cancer
It’s estimated that almost 20,000 Australian women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. Want to reduce your risk of becoming a statistic? Move more! There’s strong evidence that being insufficiently inactive increases your risk of developing breast cancer.
4. It improves your mental health
Exercise also improves mental health and helps to protect women from conditions like anxiety and depression. Currently in Australia, as many as 1 in 3 women will experience anxiety in their lifetime. Being active serves as a powerful tool for both preventing and managing symptoms associated with this condition.
5. It protects against cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) affects over half a million Australian women each year, and killed over 22,000 women in 2016. Despite these scary statistics, CVD is mostly preventable through a healthy lifestyle – including regular physical activity.
Read more: Download our free Women’s Health eBook
But Aussie women aren’t exercising
Despite the benefits of exercise, Australian women aren’t moving enough. Less than half of women aged 18 – 64 accumulate the recommended minimum of 150 minutes of physical activity each week. Even more concerning is the fact that less than 1 in 4 do strength training at least twice a week.
Many women, especially mothers, say they don’t have the time to exercise and they feel guilty about spending time away from their families to workout.
It’s not selfish to prioritise your health…
It’s time for Australian women to put their health first and make time for regular physical activity. Not only is it not selfish to make yourself a priority, it also benefits your family by making you happier and keeping you around for longer.
Getting the right advice
When it comes to health and fitness advice, it’s important to get the right advice from a qualified professional. Exercise & Sports Science Australia have developed a free eBook to help educate Aussie women about the positive impact of exercise on women’s health. They also offer a search function which allows women to find their local accredited exercise professional to help them to “Exercise Right”.
Ladies, it’s time to put your health first!
