How do you measure up?
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Tips for getting active

Here you can find information on what being active really means and some helpful tips to get you active and keep you active.

There are tremendous benefits in even a small amount of physical activity each day. This combined with healthy eating, it is the easiest way to reduce your waist measurement and lower your risk of chronic disease.

Here you can find information on what being active really means and some helpful tips to get and keep you active.

For best results to achieving a healthier lifestyle and reducing your risk of developing a chronic disease, combine physical activity with healthy eating. Go to What should I be eating? for some practical tips.

For further information on how you can be more active, go to Where can I find more information? for some other useful links.

But first let’s find out how active you really are.

Take a quiz: How physically active are you?


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Quiz Instructions:


To complete the quiz write down your selection for each multiple choice question. In Step 2 you will calculate your total quiz score and in Step 3 you will receive your quiz result.


Step 1: Complete the quiz


Question 1: On average, how many days each week do you accumulate at least 30 minutes of physical activity over the day?

  1. 2-4

  2. 5 or more

  3. None to 1

Question 2: When you arrive at a car park, do you:

  1. Keep walking/cycling, because you left the car at home or caught public transport

  2. Drive around for five minutes trying to find the "perfect space" right near the entrance

  3. Park in the first vacant car space you see, even if it's further away from your destination


Question 3: Look at the picture. In this situation, do you normally:

A flight of stairs - escalator on one side, stairs on the other side
  1. Use the escalator

  2. Use the stairs

  3. Use the escalator but keep walking

Question 4: If you worked in an office and had to talk to someone on the next floor, would you:

  1. Walk up to see them, but take the elevator to the next floor

  2. Walk up to see them, using the stairs

  3. Email or call them

Question 5: In a typical working day, do you:

  1. Spend most of your day standing/moving around

  2. Sit for most of the day but get up frequently (eg to go to the bathroom, get water, etc)

  3. Spend most of your time sitting

Question 6: If you had to walk the dog, would you find it:

  1. Something that you do occasionally, when you happen to remember

  2. A chore that you pay someone else to do for you

  3. Something you look forward to and do regularly

Question 7: Which activity are you more likely to do on a weekend?

  1. Play sport/go for a walk/go to the gym

  2. Watch sport on TV

  3. Supervise the kids playing sport

Question 8: If you needed to get the newspaper from the local shops five to ten minutes away, would you:

  1. Send the kids to walk there for you

  2. Walk/cycle there yourself

  3. Drive to the shops to pick it up

Question 9: If a friend gave you five free sessions at a gym/dance class/sporting club, would you:

  1. Throw it away or give it to someone else

  2. Go five times and then keep it up

  3. Try it out five times just so you don't hurt your friend's feelings

Question 10: For household chores like vacuuming, mowing the lawn, cleaning the windows, etc, do you:

  1. Get someone else to do it for you

  2. Do it only when you have to

  3. Enjoy doing it because it's a good way to combine chores with a workout

Step 2: Calculate your quiz score


Using your answers from Step 1, calculate your total score by adding your points for each question.

Q1

a - 1, b - 2, c - 0

Q2

a - 2, b- 0, c - 1

Q3

a - 0, b - 2, c - 1

Q4

a - 1, b - 2, c - 0

Q5

a - 2, b - 1, c - 0

Q6

a - 1, b - 0, c - 2

Q7

a - 2, b - 0, c - 1

Q8

a - 1, b - 2, c - 0

Q9

a - 0, b - 2, c -1

Q10

a - 0, b - 1, c - 2

Step 3: Check your result


Between 0 and 7 points:


You may need to change the way you think about physical activity. If you view it as an opportunity for improving health, rather than a time-wasting inconvenience, you will be taking a positive step towards better health and preventing illness. Or think of it this way… if you can’t find time to be active, you’ll need to make time to be sick!

Between 8 and 14 points:


You’re almost there! You are trying to increase your levels of physical activity by making small changes to your daily routine. Keep up the good work and keep an eye out for even more opportunities to build physical activity into your day.

Between 15 and 20 points:


Well done! You are thinking of movement as an opportunity, not an inconvenience, and are looking for ways to be active every day in as many ways as you can. Keep up the good work and you will reap the health benefits.

For best results to achieving a healthier lifestyle and reducing your risk of developing a chronic disease, combine physical activity with healthy eating. Go to What should I be eating? for some practical tips.

For further information on how you can be more active, go to Where can I go for more information? for some other useful links.