Exercise

Keep on Movin'

Exercise and Activity

If you can fit exercise into your life a few times a week you’ll look and feel good, with a strong, healthy body. Most people can manage some form of activity and it doesn’t need to be expensive. There are often discounts for young people. You need to exercise in a variety of ways to get the most benefit. Moderate activity is recommended; things like cycling, running, fast walking and dancing are good for the larger muscles of your body and they also work your heart, helping to protect you against heart disease.

You also need the kind of exercise that stretches and tones your body, keeping you supple as well as strong. You could try yoga or martial arts or exercise routines. These can be done at evening classes or even lunch times – your local sports centre or youth worker will have details.

• Choose activities you really enjoy

• Exercise regularly – try and aim for 5 times a week

• Start gently and build up

• Go for a variety of exercise for most benefit

• Helps improve your skin and control your weight

• Get into the habit – it’s a great stress-buster

• It’s a great way to meet new people and make friends.

Bigger Faster Stronger

Drugs used in sports and Fitness

There can be a lot of pressure to win, to always get better at any sport, and so sometimes people involved in sports use drugs to improve their performance. At first there may be obvious benefits, such as developing bigger muscles or seeming faster, but all drugs have side effects which may cause long term problems.

As drug use in sport is often done on the quiet, the only information immediately available is word of mouth, which cannot always be relied upon. You can be sold or given anything from baking powder to dangerous chemicals without being able to tell until you’ve used it. Never take anything if you’re not sure what it is.

One large group of drugs often connected with sports is anabolic steroids. Steroids are used a lot in bodybuilding and weightlifting. There are many different types of steroid, and some are extremely powerful. These can put the body at risk and may make you feel irritable and aggressive after a while. Steroids are often injected into a muscle such as the thigh or buttocks –this is risky if you have not been shown exactly what to do, and injecting can spread HIV and hepatitis, if needles are shared.

All of these drugs require hard work and training as well in order to build muscle – don’t believe anyone who says otherwise. You might start out by trying to improve your image and your fitness, and just end up making yourself ill.

You may be tested for drugs if you are training for or entering sporting events and it could lead to a ban from the sport for a time or altogether, if they show up in your samples.

Local drugs projects provide information and advice on all aspects of drug use, including steroids and safer injecting see page 117 contact Frank.

FRANK

www.talktofrank.com

frank@talktofrank.com

(National Drugs Helpline) 0800 776600