The more we move, the better we recover.
Whilst it’s important to rest during recovery from illness or injury, it’s even more important to stay as active as possible.
Being in hospital, even just for a few days, patients are at risk of deconditioning - a decline in physical and mental function that happens when people are inactive for a period of time. This can lead to blood clots, pressure sores and reduced muscle strength.
Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust is an ‘Active Hospital’ Trust, which means that we will encourage physical activity across our wards and make sure you have the support you need to continue being active once you get home. Together, we can improve your wellbeing, your recovery and help you get home sooner.
Benefits of physical activity
- Improve your mental wellbeing and mood and helps to manage anxiety and depression
- Help you sleep better, giving you more energy in the day
- Help control excess weight gain
- Improve the fitness of your heart and lungs making it easier to perform day-to-day activities
- Improve musculoskeletal health by strengthening muscles and increasing bone density, reducing the risk of frailty and falls
How to stay active while in hospital and how we will help you
When you’re in hospital, our healthcare professionals will look at what you were able to do before being admitted to better understand how to support you. By setting ‘active actions’, we will encourage you to keep to your normal routine of getting up, dressed and moving throughout the day as safely as possible.
Our ‘active actions’:
- Get out of bed and sit in a chair
- Wash and dress yourself
- Walk around the ward (can be assisted)
- Complete gentle exercises throughout the day
What to do once you’re back home
When we move little and often, even if it’s increasing activity from just 10 to 20 minutes a week, it can significantly improve your quality of life and life expectancy.
Physical activity is any activity that requires people to use more energy than resting. This can look like anything from moving from a bed to a chair, walking to the end of your road or even going to an organised class at your local leisure centre.
