Below are the current activity guidelines that have been developed by the NZ Ministry of Health. Are you meeting them?

Activity Guidelines:

  1. Sit less, move more! Break up long periods of sitting.
  2. Do at least 2 ½ hours of moderate or 1 ¼ hours of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week.
  3. For extra health benefits, aim for 5 hours of moderate or 2 ½ hours of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week.
  4. Do muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week.
  5. Doing some physical activity is better than doing none.
We will briefly explore each of these statements below:

 

1. Sit less, move more! Break up long periods of sitting.

Scientific evidence now clearly shows that if you sit for 6-8 hours or more per day, you are more likely to suffer from serious health problems (heart disease, diabetes, some cancers, high blood pressure etc.) than someone who sits less. What’s even more alarming is that even going to the gym or exercising the recommended amount per week may not counter the affects of sitting all day. You need to move regularly throughout the day for maximal health benefits.

Obesity expert Dr. James Levine sums it up nicely “Sitting isn't pretty. The body’s metabolic engines go to sleep. The muscles stop moving all together and the heart slows. Then, the body's calorie-burning rate plummets to about one calorie per minute - a third of what it would be if you were walking. Insulin effectiveness drops and the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes rises. Fat and cholesterol levels rise too.”

“It is almost like owning a really cool sports car and letting it idle all day long. The engine gets gunked up. That's what happens to our bodies. The body, as we know, simply isn't built to sit all day,”

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

  • If you are required to sit all day for your job, make sure you stand up regularly (at least once every 30 minutes). Better yet, purchase a sit to stand desk (the electric ones are the best because you are more likely to use them).
  • Take a 5-minute walk every 2 hours. If this is not possible, then get outside at lunch time and walk for 30 minutes.
2. Do at least 2 ½ hours of moderate or 1 ¼ hours of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week.

Moderate intensity exercise includes such things as walking, swimming or cycling and can be broken down into 5 x 30 minute bouts. This exercise needs to be continous. However, for some people finding 30 minutes is difficult. Studies have also shown that if you break this down into 3 x 10 minute bouts per day it can be just as effective.

Having worked in the central city in both Wellington and Sydney over the past 8 years, I’ve learnt that many people aren’t actually walking at a ‘moderate’ level. They are just slowly walking along. A common example of this is when people walk from the Wellington Train Station to work, which for many is about 10 minutes. Having spent some time walking this route myself, I would estimate that 80% of these people would be walking at an easy pace. This means they will be missing out on the additional health benefits associated with moderate intensity walking.

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

  • Break up your cardiovascular exercise into amounts that suit your lifestyle.
  • Remember, if you just walk slowly you will miss out on additional health benefits.
3. For extra health benefits, aim for 5 hours of moderate or 2 ½ hours of vigorous physical activity spread throughout the week.

This statement is pretty self-explanatory – the more you exercise, the less health problems you will have. Yes, it is possible to do too much however, for 99% of us, that is not the problem. Of course, if you haven’t exercised in a while, start slowly and build up.

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

  • Listen to a podcast whilst exercising. Choose a podcast that is longer than 30 minutes.
  • Most gyms have cardiovascular equipment with TVs on each machine. Why not go to the gym and watch your favourite 1 hour TV show? Or watch a sports game whilst exercising.
  • Start with exercising for longer once/week - go out and try mountain biking or one of the great walks NZ has to offer.
4. Do muscle strengthening activities at least twice a week.

Out of all of the recommendations, this is one that many forget. What is required to meet this recommendation is training twice per week, 10 different weight training exercises and performing 2 sets of 10-12 repetitions. These exercises should also be focused on the major muscles groups (e.g. chest, back, thighs etc.)

Achieving this recommendation can help keep your bones and muscles become stronger and improve balance. This may allow you to stay active in your older years and decrease your chance of having a fall.

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

  • You do not need to be a gym member to start resistance exercises. There are many online exercise programs available. Better yet, get some advice from a qualified personal trainer who can set you up with a program to complete at home.
5. Some physical activity is better than doing none.

Gardening, lawn mowing, playing with the kids and housework are all great examples of activities that will help your body to move. Watching TV, using a computer and playing on your phone are all examples of activities that will be detrimental to your health in the long term.

Health and Fitness Testing NZ Tips:

  • For every 1 hour of TV you watch, make sure you do 30 minutes of something active. You’ll be surprised at how much it all adds up.

 

Article written by:

Peter Halstead
MPhty, PGDipSportMed, BSpEx, MPNZ
Director / Physiotherapist
Health and Fitness Testing NZ Ltd
peter@healthandfitnesstesting.nz

 

References:

View the full NZ Ministry of Health's eating and activity guidelines here

View the ACSM Position Stand for quality and quantity of exercise here

View the Quantity and Quality of Exercise for Developing and Maintaining Cardiorespiratory, Musculoskeletal, and Neuromotor Fitness in Apparently Healthy Adults: Guidance for Prescribing Exercise here