Are You Doing Enough Physical Activity and How Can You Do More?

It is indisputable that physical activity has a plethora of health benefits. These advantages are well-understood and range from reducing your risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and some cancers, to protecting against the development of debilitating mental health problems such as depression. Despite the clear link between physical exercise and positive health outcomes, nearly 1 in 3 Australians adults are insufficiently active and spend far too much time engaging in sedentary behaviour.

This gap between what we know is good for our health and our actual behaviours can be explained by considering the multi-faceted and complex determinants of health and health-related behaviours. In order to experience these health advantages, it’s not just a simple case of increasing our levels of exercise. Health behaviours are the result of a complex interaction between socioeconomic, environmental, individual and biological factors. For example, those living in socio-economically disadvantaged areas are less likely to engage…