Cheryl Wright, executive officer of the Heart Foundation's Physical Activity Program, says regular moderate activity can help parents cope with the daily stresses of work and home, giving them more energy . 

"People notice that if they go for a walk at lunchtime, which is not a hard thing to do, they can deal with things better," Ms Wright says. 

"A colleague said to me that since she's been walking at lunchtime - and she's not huffing and puffing, just walking moderately, she's feeling a lot better and more energetic and able to finish the day more easily, even though she then goes home to quite a big workload." 

If you want to have the health benefits of moderate activity and lose weight at the same time, Dr Armstrong says 30 minutes a day of brisk walking will help keep you healthy but it won't slim you down. 

"The best study on walking shows that it's about an hour of brisk walking a day to lose weight, plus a reduction in calories." Dr Armstrong urges parents to look for opportunities to include physical activity in their day . 

Activity with Children

"One of the things we try and promote, especially among parents, is to engage in physical activity with the kids ," he says. "So instead of perhaps watching television with them, depending on their age, maybe take them to the park, walk them to school, just look at ways to be active with the kids." 

And the health benefits of moderate activity kick in quickly. "Even in older people, 70 years plus, within three weeks of beginning a very moderate gentle exercise program, we see a reduction in cholesterol levels and blood pressure, and this happens in all age groups," Dr Armstrong says. "It's never too late to start." Are you ready for that walk now?

The National Heart Foundation's Cheryl Wright says people should try to be more active every day and take advantage of all opportunities for activity. She says: