Love it or hate it, the benefits to exercise include an improvement in cholesterol levels. If your levels are high or borderline, regular exercise can lower the bad cholesterol and raise the good cholesterol.

What are some of the benefits of exercise?

Regular exercising can help to reduce LDL cholesterol, improve cardiovascular health and improve mental health. It can help with weight loss and building muscle tone, and many people report that regular exercising makes them feel healthier and full of energy.

How much exercise?

To gain the most benefit from exercise, getting into an exercise routine is ideal. Many health authorities recommend exercising at a "moderate" intensity for at least 30 minutes per day on 5-7 days per week. Moderate intensity exercise means that it should increase both your heart and breathing rate, but you should still be able to comfortably talk without panting too much.

Good examples of moderate intensity exercise include brisk walking, swimming, light aerobics, bike riding, ballroom dancing and line dancing to name a few.

Always seek the advice of your healthcare provider before starting any new exercise routine. If you have a health issue you need to heed your doctor's advice about how much and how often is right for you.

What type of exercise is best?

If you get the go-ahead, get up and find something that you enjoy doing that you can maintain, preferably with a moderate intensity which will get the heart pumping. Maintaining an exercise routine is the absolute key. Don't let excuses such as bad weather stop you. The benefits to exercise are worth overcoming the hurdle of bad weather! Get creative and have a plan. If it’s raining, think of something you could do indoors – you could be going to a gym, using home exercise equipment, doing an aerobics tape, perhaps even line dancing!

If you get bored with your exercise routine, try something else and change things up, but don’t give up. There are so many different ways to exercise – more than people realise! Traditionally people believe that exercise is defined as pounding the pavement, joining a gym or playing competitive sport. Think outside the square if these things are not for you! Do you enjoy dancing? trampolining? skiing? walking the dog? These activities are also exercise.

For people with less mobility, consulting a physiotherapist or exercise physiologist can provide an opportunity to learn some valuable and safe exercises that can also be fun too.

Four quick tips

1. Change your exercise routine regularly to stop boredom.

2. Exercise with a friend if possible. Having a friend is good company and serves as accountability.

3. Choose a form of exercise that you enjoy. If you hate jogging, don't jog. Stick with exercises that you know you will be able to maintain in the long run.

4. Take advantage of incidental activity and sneak in extra exercises where you can. Like parking your car further out. Take the stairs instead of elevator for a few floors. Look around for opportunities to put your body to work.