Being physically active is extremely important for your physical, mental and emotional health. The multitude of health benefits of leading an active lifestyle are well documented. Regular physical activity prevents heart disease; reduces the risk of diabetes and some cancers; lowers cholesterol and blood pressure; strengthens bones, muscles and joints and lowers the risk of osteoporosis; improves mood and energy levels; improves sleep quality; and is critical to weight loss and in maintaining a healthy weight. In short, your overall quality of life is greatly enhanced through regular physical activity.
BEFORE YOU START: ARE YOU READY TO BEGIN EXERCISING?
Before you begin an exercise program it is a good idea to visit your doctor. This is particularly important if you are overweight or haven’t done much exercise before.
Pre-Exercise Screening Questionnaire:
1 Are you 70 years or older?
2 Do you experience pain in your chest?
3 Are you taking medication for your blood pressure or a heart condition?
4 Do you have problems with balance and dizziness?
5 Do you ever lose consciousness (pass out)?
6 Are you pregnant?
If you answered yes to any of the questions above, talk to your doctor before increasing your physical activity. Your doctor will be able to tell you which activities are safe for you. A medical check-up, which usually includes reading your blood pressure, your weight and checking your cholesterol and glucose levels, is also a great way to measure your progress. One of the benefits of increasing your regular exercise is that your health improves. If you currently have any injuries or pain in your muscles or joints it is important to see a physiotherapist to be properly assessed. They can then advise you of the safest way for you to begin exercising.
HOW ACTIVE SHOULD YOU BE?
For health benefits, and to reduce the risk of various health problems, the National Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults in Australia recommend adults participate in at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity (such as walking) on most, or preferably all, days of the week. The good news is that your physical activity can be accumulated over the course of the day for the same benefit. That is, you can be active in one block (e.g. 30 minutes) or in small bouts (3 x 10 minutes). A 10-minute walk from the car to work, a 10-minute walk at lunch and a 10-minute walk back to the car is just as beneficial as one 30-minute walk.
The national guidelines outline the minimum amount of physical activity you need to complete to improve your health. Importantly, additional health benefits are gained by engaging in physical activity beyond this amount. Keep in mind, any physical activity is better than no activity and the more physical activity the better.
In Australia there are currently no guidelines for physical activity and weight loss. However, the United States has released physical activity recommendations for the management of weight and prevention of weight gain. They suggest people engage in 60 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous intensity activity on most days of the week. They also recommend that adults complete resistance training/strengthening exercises involving all major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week, as these activities provide additional health benefits.
WHAT IS YOUR CURRENT LEVEL OF PHYSICAL ACTIVITY?
It is useful to know how active you currently are before starting any exercise program. This provides you with a baseline of activity and means it is easier to note any positive changes you make to your exercise. Keep track of your current activity level for at least a week before making any changes.
There are many ways to measure how active you normally are. Two of the most useful, as well as quickest and cheapest, are pedometers and activity diaries.
WHAT IS A PEDOMETER AND HOW CAN IT HELP?
Pedometers are small, cheap devices that you attach to your belt to count the number of steps you take. They are available from most sports stores and some chemists. Wear your pedometer all day every day for 1 week. If you do remove your pedometer, but are still active (for example, swimming or surfing), estimate the number of steps you would have taken using this simple formula:
10 minutes low-intensity activity = 1000 steps
10 minutes moderate-intensity activity = 1500 steps
Write down the total number of steps you have taken at the end of each day. This is an objective way to assess and track your physical-activity levels. It is recommended that adults accumulate at least 10,000 steps per day for health benefits.
Note what days your steps are higher, and when they are lower. Do you sit all day throughout the week but walk a lot on weekends? Do you have an active on-your-feet job but tend to slouch away the weekend in front of the telly? Looking at how your steps change will allow you to see what days you are more active. Once you have this information, it is easier to work out when you need to add more activity into your routine
HOW CAN AN ACTIVITY DIARY HELP?
An activity diary is another useful way to track how much physical activity you are performing. It is particularly helpful if you are busy and struggle to find time to exercise regularly. By writing down what activities you do at different times and classifying them as active or sedentary it is easier to find ways to build physical activity into your daily routine. You will soon notice how making small changes to your lifestyle to increase incidental exercise can have a big impact of your activity levels.
Photocopy the form on the facing page and fill it out to track how active you are throughout your day.
Each activity needs to be classified as active or sedentary. Any time spent lying down or sitting, including driving, is considered sedentary. Most activities that are on your feet, such as walking, cleaning, actively playing with your kids and exercising are considered active.
To work out your total active time verses total sedentary time, highlight your active hours in green and sedentary hours in red and then add the total of each colour separately. Once you have done this, calculate your results, remembering that the ideal minimum activity level is 30 minutes per day for health benefits and 60 minutes per day for weight loss.
WHAT NOW?
Don‘t get discouraged if you find that your levels of physical activity fall short of the guidelines – that‘s why you are reading this book. Now that you have a baseline of your usual physical activity, you can move on to the next stage, which is adding more activity to your daily life. Keep the record of your initial level of activity so you can compare it to how active you‘ll become in the next stage.
Turn over the page and learn how to get started for a new, fitter you.