Move it or lose it! But how often should you move it?

We all know that we need to exercise regularly to maintain good health but how much do we actually need to be doing to experience the benefits of exercise? To save you doing the research yourself, the World Health Organisation has done it for you and written a lovely report on it! As your time is precious, I’m here to summarise the key points for you so you know exactly how much you should be moving!

Sound good? Great, here it is.

If you are between the ages of 18 and 64 (if you’re above 64, don’t stop reading, it applies to you too!) it is recommended that you do AT LEAST 150 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise throughout the week or, alternatively,  75 minutes of vigorous intensity aerobic exercise with these bouts of exercise lasting at least 10 minutes each. If you’re feeling extra motivated or find yourself with some free time, the benefits of exercise continue to increase if you exceed these recommended amounts! It’s also recommended that muscle strengthening exercises for the major muscle groups be done 2 or more times per week (e.g. the muscles groups that help you push things, pull things and your legs).

You might be asking yourself what exactly is ‘moderate intensity aerobic exercise’? It can be a lot of things such as brisk walk, vacuuming or mopping the floor, a gentle bike ride or playing a game of tennis with a friend. A step up in intensity from this such as jogging, hiking, shovelling, playing team sports falls under the category of ‘vigorous intensity exercise’. All making sense so far?

It was slightly hinted at in the previous paragraph, but exercise not does always have to be walking/running or done in a gym. Things such as a pulling weeds in the garden, mowing the lawn, building a new yard for the chooks or playing with the kids/grandkids can be help you reach your recommended amount of exercise. Your best bet is to find something you enjoy doing as you’ll be more likely to do it, as Michelle Bridges says, “the best exercise is the one that gets done!”

“Yeah but why do I need to exercise?” There is an old Exercise Physiologist proverb that goes “If exercise was a drug, it would be the most commonly prescribed drug in the world”. This is hard to deny as there is undeniable evidence that exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, most cancers. It has also been shown to have a hugely positive effect on mental health and bone health reducing the risk of bone fractures which is particularly important as you age.

If you are concerned that you are not reaching your 150 minutes of moderate activity week, do not fret, we are here to help! A session with one of our Physiotherapists or Exercise Physiologist can help you identify strategies to get you more active and find exercises you find enjoyable and engaging. Call 8682 6665 to book an appointment or click 'book now' below to do it online.

If you wish to read more about the World Health Organisations activity recommendations, the full report can be found here: https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/44399/9789241599979_eng.pdf;jsessionid=DDD74F23A84B8037716269BBF8A21E05?sequence=1