Physical activity is recommended for improving or maintaining your health. It is associated with a lower risk for chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, depression, anxiety and some types of cancer. In addition, recent research has shown that physical inactivity or sedentary time is associated with higher risk for some of these same diseases, independent of physical activity levels. In the media, we have seen the idea that sitting is the new smoking.
In my work on helping people change behaviour, I have learned a couple other tips that may help you succeed on this year's commitment. The first tip is to pick something small and achievable that you actually can imagine yourself doing long term. Many resolutions included avoiding temptations like chocolate, ice cream or alcohol. Trying to commit to avoiding things completely is really hard and is unlikely to be achievable for longer than a few weeks.