Move More – New Exercise Guidelines
Exercise. Who has
time to fit exercise into their day during the holiday season? And what are the guidelines for how much
exercise we should get each day? A
frequently asked question from my students is “How much exercise do I need each
day?” Well, recently, November 2018 to
be precise, the federal guidelines on physical activity were updated. So, what are the latest recommendations and
who sets those guidelines anyway?
Who sets the guidelines
for exercise?
The federal government sets guidelines for what we should
eat at MyPlate. A number of federal
agencies worked together to update the physical activity guidelines including: Centers for Disease Control, Office of
Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, National Institutes of Health and the
President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. The guidelines were first issued in 2008 and
November, 2018 is the first time the Physical
Activity Guidelines for Americans have been updated.
What is the theme of
the new physical activity campaign?
“Move Your Way”. Why
the change and what does this “Move Your Way” mean? Research found that only 1 in 5 adults and
teenagers met the Physical Activity Guidelines.
So, the new guidelines provide “tips and strategies to help people fit
more activity into their busy routines.”
I have always encouraged students and others who have no time for the
gym to fit exercise into what they do every day. One of my favorites is to park far away. My car is almost always one of the furthest
from the door. One student worked the
cash register at a retail store and said she had no time to exercise. I asked if there was any way she could build
some steps into her workday. She thought
about it and came to class and said she had over 10,000 steps. She started to routinely volunteer to restock
the items customers didn’t want and this gave her lots of steps walking around
the store.
What are the current
guidelines for physical activity?
Kids 6-17
Kids ages 6-17 need 60 minutes a day of moderate to vigorous
activity. This includes walking, running
– things that make their hearts beat faster.
Adults – also 60
minutes a day but to get the most health benefits:
- Aerobic – for healthy lungs and heart.
- Vigorous aerobic (or as my students prefer to say, cardio) exercise 75 minutes a week or moderate aerobic exercise 150 minutes a week.
What are the changes in
the physical fitness guidelines?
The big change is we should count all our movement during
the day. Not just the trips to the gym,
or the exercise classes but simple things like standing on the subway instead
of sitting, standing up and walking around when you talk on the phone. Researchers call this, NEAT for non-exercise
activity thermogenesis. You rev up your
system with by just moving more. NIH reports that “even
trivial physical activities increase metabolic rate substantially.”
They advise not to give up going to the gym and working out
or other forms of more intense physical activity. By add in some of those NEAT activities
during the day.
What are some simple
NEAT activities you can add to your day?
The Move Your Way campaign has fact sheets, handouts free to
use for teachers, coaches, personal trainers and anyone interested in better
health. Whatever gets you moving is good
for your health including: raking,
vacuuming, walking the dog, gardening, playing catch with your kid, dancing,
pushing a kid in a stroller. Moving more for kids: bicycling, skateboarding, walking the dog,
hiking, dancing, swimming, climbing or swinging on monkey bars, jumping rope,
basketball, soccer.
What are some ways you can build some NEAT activities into
your day to Move More and Sit Less? Here
is a short video with simple ways to add more movement to your day, Move
Your Way: Tips for Busy Days.
Sources: Physical
Activity Guidelines, exercise,
study,
risk,
light
physical activity, reports,
Move
Your Way: Tips for Busy Days Illustrations: Move, adult 1,
adult 2
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