Move your body for health and wellbeing

Movement is important for our health. It can help prevent cancer and will keep you strong during a cancer journey

Our bodies were made to move about. Our bodies get stronger and healthier when we are physically active, and we feel fitter. Being physically active also protects us from injuries and hurting ourselves.

A healthy lifestyle should include regular exercise and physical activity. Find activities you enjoy doing either individually or in a group. Include your children and grandchildren too. They will enjoy learning how to be healthy with you.

Active lifestyle advantages

The following are some of the important advantages of having a physically active lifestyle:

• muscle strength is built and maintained
• risk of chronic illness is reduced
• strong body immunity
• bones get stronger
• better heart health
• high blood pressure can be reduced
• helps the body heal faster by reducing pain
• weight reduction
• enhances metabolism and digestion
• gives a sense of wellbeing.

Keeping our body moving can also help reduce the risk of some types of cancer.

People of any age who move a lot are generally healthier than people who don’t move all that much, and any exercise is better than none. If you can, do some types of exercise each week where you end up puffed out enough to make it hard to talk, but not hard to breathe.

On Country

If you’re out on Country, then you’re probably already moving around quite a bit. Going on walks and gathering food in traditional ways is healthy and so is team sport, and local activities run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander community organisations. Ask around about what other mobs are doing, such as the NSW Elders Olympics and running groups including the Wadeye (not)parkrun.

Physical activities help connect us to other people, connect us to Country, meet our healthy weight and exercise goals and reduce risk of cancer.

Learn more about deadly choices on physical activity.

Support

If you want some support, talk to family and mob about doing something together, which can help you with wanting to do it.

Yarn with your doctor, nurse or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander health worker about ways to keep moving and active.