HealthInfo Waitaha Canterbury
Being active to lose weight
Kia hohe e whīroki ai
Being active is important for good health, but physical activity on its own is not usually enough to lose weight. You need to combine being active with eating well.
Be active every day
To stay a healthy weight, try to do at least 2½ hours of moderate activity every week, spread throughout the week. One way to do this is to do 30 minutes most days of the week. Moderate activity means you find it hard to hold a conversation but are still able to talk. You should also notice that you start to get warm, but not too hot.
If you are trying to lose weight, you need to do more – aim for five hours of moderate activity every week.
Starting out
If you have a health condition such as high blood pressure or heart problems, talk to your general practice team before you start. Also talk to your general practice team if you have not been active for a while and have concerns about your health.
Start slowly – begin with five to 10 minutes and build up to more regular activity. You might find your muscles get stiff and sore – this should go away as you get used to being active. But if being active causes any pain, talk to your general practice team or physiotherapist.
Tips for being more active
- Keep an activity diary alongside your food diary. There are many smartphone apps to help with this such as MyFitnessPal or Pedometer. This will help you to keep active throughout the whole day.
- Sit less, move more. Break up long periods of sitting by not using the remote control to change TV channels. You could also park one block away from your destination or walk to pick up the children from school. Being active for small amounts of time throughout the day is just as effective as doing it all in one go.
- Choose whatever physical activity you enjoy. No activity is better than another for keeping us healthy. Find what works best for you. Join a local sports club or gym, find an exercise group near you or go walking with a friend. You could also walk your dog, do some gardening or even do some high-intensity housework. Active Canterbury has information about clubs, parks and groups near you.
- Set yourself a goal, such as walking 2.5km in 30 minutes within six months and celebrate when you achieve it.
- Add some light strength training into your activity programme to help keep your body strong and flexible. You do not need weights to do this, you can use your own body weight. For example, doing lunges, squats, push ups and step-ups. Or you can make your own weights out of empty drink bottles filled with sand, water or rice. Start off with these simple exercises from Sport Canterbury. Once you have worked up a bit of fitness, try this seven-minute workout. When you start out you may need to do the easier versions of some of the exercises. Some people will not have the upper-body strength to do some of the harder versions, even when they are fit.
- Involve your whānau (family), friends or work colleagues. The more support you have, the more likely you are to enjoy and stick with it.
- Make sure you drink plenty while you are being active, so you stay hydrated. Water is best. Avoid sports drinks, energy drinks and fruit juice. They are all high in sugar and provide lots of calories.
If you need help being more active, talk to your general practice team about Support for getting active (initiatives to help adults get physically active). They can also refer you to a personal trainer or physiotherapist for specific advice and support.
A physiotherapist (or physio) can assess your individual needs and develop an activity plan tailored to you. This plan will help you overcome whatever has made it hard to exercise and improve your health, wellbeing or performance. You are likely to have three or four sessions with your physiotherapist over three to six months. But this depends on how much support and advice you want.
You can find a physiotherapist near you by searching on Physiotherapy New Zealand's website. There will be a cost to see a physiotherapist.
Written by HealthInfo clinical advisers. Last reviewed February 2022.
SourcesReview key: HIMWA-28082
