Activ8 SMART goal setting template

Publication review date: December 2026

Physical activity factsheet

One of World Cancer Research Fund’s Cancer Prevention Recommendations is to be physically active.

This factsheet explains:

• Why exercising is good for your health
•  How much exercise you should aim for and what counts
• Tips on getting more active in your daily life

Publication review date: August 2026

5 Simple steps to a healthier you

This short booklet is for people wanting to make healthy changes to their lifestyle but aren’t sure where to start.

Inside you’ll find simple, practical guidance on:

1. Being a healthy weight
2. Moving more
3. Eating well
4. Limiting junk food
5. Drinking less alcohol

World Cancer Research Fund’s health resources give you the tools to build habits that support long-term health and reduce your cancer risk.

Keeping physically active can have a big impact on our health – physically and mentally. It can have an immediate impact on our health and, importantly, if we keep doing it, it helps protect it for the future. It can also help reduce our risk of developing certain cancers. However, current levels of physical activity are insufficient for optimal health.

Nowadays getting active can be harder, especially with more of us doing a sedentary job. This can mean we end up sitting a lot more than is good for our health. In fact, on average we sit for around 12 hours a day!

Where possible, we should all try to minimise the amount of time we spend sedentary and sat down for.

There are lots of positive things you can do to combat this. This guide is packed full of practical tips and advice to help you move more and fit more activity into your day.

It looks at the benefits of doing different types of activities on our health and the importance of keeping active throughout our life. It also provides you with several exercises you can try – all from the comfort of your home.

Ready for a more active you?