Ways to Move Your Body
Assessment
Please indicate whether the following statement is true or false. It is recommended that adults complete a total of 60 minutes of moderate physical activity per week.
That's right, good job!
The correct answer is: False
Not quite!
The correct answer is: False
Run, walk, dance, row, play tag or ski. There are so many ways to be active and move your body each day. By moving your body, you can increase your longevity and quality of life by preventing illness, such as heart disease, stroke and diabetes, reducing anxiety, stress and depression, enhancing learning and creative thinking and improving your quality of sleep.
Nearly everyone knows that physical activity is critical to our overall well-being. Unfortunately, many of us have a hard time fitting it into our busy schedules. In fact, studies show that 25% of adults and 80% of children don’t get enough physical activity. The lack of movement can be detrimental to our health and well-being, leading to increases in chronic conditions and resulting in 5 million avoidable deaths globally per year.
The question remains — with the hustle and bustle of our busy schedules, how do we fit physical activity into our everyday routines? Here are some clinically proven ways to move your body each day:
| Physical Activities | What You Can Do to Integrate Them Into Your Day |
|---|---|
| Walking | Turn your next meeting into a walking meeting |
| Running | Run in place in between commercials/ads |
| Sports (individual or team) | Shoot some indoor basketball hoops |
| Active recreation and play | Take a 5- to 10-minute break to play a quick game of tag with your child(ren) (or a game of chase with your fur baby) |
| Golfing | Take a 10-minute golf break with an indoor (or yard) putting green |
| Yoga | Try a 7-minute yoga break |
| Dancing | Turn on some music and take a 5-minute dance break in between meetings |
| Swimming | Try a few dryland swimming techniques at home |
| Biking/cycling | Take your bicycle to run your next errand |
| Water sports/activities | Try a few rowing exercises with exercise bands and everyday items at home while you watch your favorite shows |
| Kickboxing | Take a 5-minute break for a quick cardio kickboxing workout in between meetings |
| Cleaning the house | Set a timer for 10 minutes each evening to tidy up your home |
| Yardwork | Spend some time outdoors to mow the lawn, pull pesky weeds or tend to your garden |
The amount of physical activity you need depends on your age. The following chart describes the amount of physical activity needed by age and intensity level:
| How much physical activity you need* | |
|---|---|
| Ages 1 – 5 |
|
| Ages 6 – 17 |
|
| Ages 18 – 64 |
|
| Ages 65+ |
|
* Please note that the guidelines outlined above are based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations. You should contact your doctor for the amount of physical activity recommended for your personal circumstances.
Assessment
How much moderate physical activity should an adult between the age of 18 and 64 get each week?
That's right, good job!
The correct answer is: 150 – 300 minutes of moderate intensity activity
Not quite!
The correct answer is: 150 – 300 minutes of moderate intensity activity
