Types of physical activity

What sort of activities should you do? 

• Do what you enjoy. 
• Do a variety of activities.  
• Do them regularly.  

• Take a walking meeting at work 
• Play a game with friends in the park 
• Go on a bushwalking holiday 
• Join a dance class 
• Go for a walk. Walking is a great activity for most people as it is free, simple and can be done almost anywhere. 
  

What are the different types of physical activity?  

Warming-up and stretching 

Strengthening activities for muscles and bones 

Lift light weights

• Improve muscle strength by lifting light weights. If you don’t have access to weights, use cans of tinned food, water bottles or small bags of rice. 
• You can also do body weight resistance exercises, such as lunges, squats and push-ups. 

• As with any new physical activity, start slowly and gradually build up. With muscle strengthening, start with 10 repetitions lifting an easy weight. Then, slowly over time, increase the repetitions gradually to 20. Once this feels easy, increase the weight slightly and return to 10 repetitions.   

​Breathe normally

• Don’t hold your breath during lifts. It’s important to breathe normally as the strain of lifting weights can raise blood pressure. This is also true for other lifting activities such as carrying heavy shopping or a basket of wet laundry. 

Cardiovascular or aerobic activity 

• Brisk walking 
• Golf 
• Easy cycling 
• Household jobs, such as washing windows. 

• Jogging 
• Group fitness classes 
• Organised sports, such as football, tennis and netball.  

How intense should physical activities be? 

• Start with moderate-intensity physical activities that make you breathe a little heavier. Then, increase the amount and frequency gradually 
• Speak to your doctor or health professional for advice before starting a new physical activity routine 
• Don’t overdo it. If you’re feeling discomfort, chest pain, faint, trouble breathing or your heartbeat is too fast or irregular, stop the physical activity immediately and seek medical advice  
• Avoid high-intensity physical activity straight after meals or alcohol, or if you have an illness. 

Speak to your doctor before you start