Archive for the ‘Stength Training’ Category

« Older Entries

Start Shaping Up

August 19, 2014

IT’S TIME TO SHAPE UPshapeup

As a nation, our waistlines are growing. Today, over 63% of Australian adults and one in four children are overweight or obese.

Unhealthy eating and not enough physical activity can lead to overweight and obesity, and an increased risk of developing a chronic disease such as some cancers, heart disease and type 2 diabetes.

Shape Up Australia is an initiative to help Australians reduce their waist measurements and improve their overall health and wellbeing. There are many everyday changes you can make to help you Shape Up and get on your way to a healthier lifestyle.


GETTING ACTIVE

Life can be busy, and it’s easy to think that there just isn’t enough time to be physically active.  But being physically active doesn’t mean you have to spend hours exercising each day or that you have to push yourself to the point of feeling exhausted.

There are great benefits to getting even a small amount of physical activity each day, both mentally and physically.  Being active gives you more energy, helps you sleep better, reduces the risk of depression and can help to prevent a range of chronic diseases.

You can start with small changes, like increasing the distance you walk by getting off the bus earlier or parking your car further away from the shops.  Gradually increase the amount of physical activity you do – it all adds up.  Aim for 30 minutes (or more) of moderate-intensity activity most days of the week.

If you’re worried you don’t have the time, keep in mind that you don’t have to do your 30 minutes (or more) all at once – combine a few shorter sessions of 10 to 15 minutes each throughout the day.  Those short bursts are just as effective as longer exercise sessions.

To get started, check out these physical activity tips or find activities in your local area using the activity finder.

GETTING PHYSICAL TIPS

Tips for being more physically active every day

  • The saying “no pain, no gain” is a myth.  Some activity is better than none, and more is better than a little.  But you don’t have to exercise to the point of collapse to get a health benefit.  Aim for at least 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity on most, preferably all, days of the week.
  • Set a date for when you will start. Write the date down and stick to it.
  • Make time to be physically active and schedule it as you would an appointment.  The Shape Up activity planner can help you plan and track your activity.
  • Set short-term and long-term goals.  Make your goals specific, measurable and achievable.  Rather than a vague goal like “I will get fit”, try “I will walk every day for 10 minutes after meals” or “I will get off the bus/train two stops earlier than my usual stop”.
  • Build up gradually.  If you are starting a new activity or have been inactive for some time, start at a level that you can manage easily and gradually build up.
  • Choose activities that are right for you.  Do something that you enjoy or go for something different you’ve always wanted to try, such as walking, jogging, joining a team sport, taking a group fitness class, dancing, cycling or swimming.
  • Mix it up.  Consider changing your activities every so often to avoid becoming bored.
  • Plan physical activity with others.  This can help you stick to your plan and achieve your goals.
  • Do not give up before you start to see the benefits.  Be patient and keep at it.
  • HAVE FUN! Physical activity can make you feel good about yourself and it’s a great opportunity to have fun with other people or enjoy some time to yourself.

FINDING TIME TO GET ACTIVE

It can seem hard to find time for physical activity.  One solution is to look for opportunities to build as much physical activity into everyday activities as you can.  Here are some ideas to get you started:

  • Rather than spend five minutes circling a car park looking for that “perfect space” right near the entrance, park five minutes away and spend that time walking instead.
  • If you arrive at a bus or tram stop early, why not make use of the time to walk to the next stop?
  • Walk rather than rest on escalators… it’s quicker so you’ll actually save time! (Or better still, use the stairs).
  • Work in the garden – get into some energetic gardening activities like digging, shifting soil and mowing the lawn to raise your heart-rate.
  • Clean the house! Activities like vacuuming, cleaning windows and scrubbing floors that raise your heart rate are all good examples of moderate intensity physical activity.
  • Park further away from work (or get off public transport a few stops early).  If you walk for 10 minutes to and from work, you’ll have done 20 minutes without even noticing.  Add a 10 minute brisk walk (or more!) at lunch time and you’ve met the guidelines for the day.

ACTIVITY INTENSITY

What is moderate intensity activity?

Moderate-intensity activity will cause a slight but noticeable increase in your breathing and heart rate.  A good example of moderate-intensity activity is brisk walking; that is, at a pace where you are able to talk comfortably, but not sing.  Moderate-intensity activity should be carried out for at least 10 minutes at a time.

What is vigorous activity?

Vigorous activity is where you “huff and puff”; where talking in full sentences between breaths is difficult.  Vigorous activity can come from such sports as football, squash, netball, basketball and activities such as aerobics, speed walking, jogging and fast cycling.

Note: If you are pregnant, have been previously inactive, or suffer from any medical conditions, it is recommended that you seek medical advice before commencing vigorous physical activity.

WHAT SHOULD I BE EATING

Eating a diet that includes a variety of nutritious foods every day helps us maintain a healthy weight, feel good and fight off chronic disease.

Best of all, healthy eating doesn’t have to be hard if you follow these seven golden rules:

  1. Drink plenty of water
  2. Eat more vegetables and fruit
  3. Watch how much you eat – even foods that are good for us, when eaten in large portions, can lead to weight gain
  4. Eat less processed food
  5. Eat regular meals – don’t skip meals – and always start the day with a healthy breakfast (e.g. a bowl of hi fibre cereal with sliced banana and low fat milk)
  6. Restrict your alcohol intake
  7. Remember that some foods are high in added fat, salt and sugar and so are best eaten only sometimes or in small amounts.  Examples include lollies, chocolate, biscuits, cakes, pastries, soft drinks, chips, pies, sausage rolls and other takeaways.

To help you eat well every day, check out these healthy recipes and snack suggestions, tips for staying on track when eating out, our guide to healthy eating on a budget, and tips for drinking to health.

Snack suggestions

  • Add fruit and yoghurt to low fat milk and blend them together to make a great tasting smoothie.
  • A slice of wholegrain bread or raisin toast with a healthy spread such as avocado or low-fat cream cheese, makes a filling, healthy snack.
  • A piece of fruit – like a banana or apple – can make a great “on the run” snack.
  • Instead of reaching for a chocolate bar or packet of chips, try vegetable sticks with low-fat hummus.
  • An occasional handful of unsalted nuts or dried fruit makes a nutritious snack.
  • Grab a tub of natural low-fat yoghurt and add your own fruit.
  • Air-popped popcorn with a sprinkling of salt makes a great afternoon snack.
  • When the weather is hot, fruits such as oranges and grapes make delicious frozen snacks.

Other useful links:

Australian Dietary Guidelines www.eatforhealth.gov.au

Stay On Track When Eating Out Fact Sheet

Your Guide To Buying Fruit And Veg In Season Fact Sheet

Information sourced from this Government Website: http://www.shapeup.gov.au/start-shaping-up

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Boomers, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Coffs Coast Kids Club, Coffs Harbour, Diabetes, Drink Water, Fitness, Group Exercise, Health, Healthy Information, Healthy Inspirations, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Heart Disease, Mind & Body, Misc Information, Nutrition, Obesity, Personal Trainer, Running, Seniors Fitness, Stength Training, Stress, Uncategorized, Well Being | Leave a Comment »

Exercise Helps Brain Growth

July 22, 2014

brain-weights-isp-5

Research into “neurogenesis”—the ability of certain brain areas to grow new brain cells—has recently taken an exciting turn. Not only has research discovered that we can foster new brain cell growth through exercise, but it may eventually be possible to “bottle” that benefit in prescription medication.

The hippocampus, a brain area closely linked to learning and memory, is especially receptive to new neuron growth in response to endurance exercise. Exactly how and why this happens wasn’t well understood until recently. Research has discovered that exercise stimulates the production of a protein called FNDC5 that is released into the bloodstream while we’re breaking a sweat. Over time, FNDC5 stimulates the production of another protein in the brain called Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), which in turns stimulates the growth of new nerves and synapses – the connection points between nerves – and also preserves the survival of existing brain cells.

What this boils down to in practice is that regular endurance exercise, like jogging, strengthens and grows your brain. In particular, your memory and ability to learn get a boost from hitting the pavement.  Along with the other well-established benefits of endurance exercise, such as improved heart health, this is a pretty good reason to get moving. If jogging isn’t your thing, there’s a multitude of other ways to trigger the endurance effect – even brisk walking on a regular basis yields brain benefits.

Now researchers from the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute at Harvard Medical School (HMS) have also discovered that it may be possible to capture these benefits in a pill.  The same protein that stimulates brain growth via exercise could potentially be bottled and given to patients experiencing cognitive decline, including those in the beginning stages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

“What is exciting is that a natural substance can be given in the bloodstream that can mimic some of the effects of endurance exercise on the brain,” said Bruce Spiegelman, PhD, of Dana-Farber and HMS and co-senior author of the research report with Michael E. Greenberg, PhD, chair of neurobiology at HMS.

In the new study, the research team artificially increased BDNF in the brains of mice by using a harmless virus to piggyback FNDC5 molecules through the bloodstream of the mice.  After seven days, researchers found a significant increase in BDNF in the hippocampus area of the mice brains – the brain area crucial for memory and learning.

“Perhaps the most exciting result overall is that peripheral delivery of FNDC5 with adenoviral vectors (i.e. a virus) is sufficient to induce central expression of BDNF and other genes with potential neuroprotective functions or those involved in learning and memory,” the authors said.

The research team cautions that since this is an animal study, it’s far too early to conclude that the same effect will work in humans, but the significant results of this study show promise for future research into delivering cognitive benefits to the human brain via a similar mechanism. Cognitive boost for suffers of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and other debilitating diseases in the form of a brain-growth pill may not be too far off.

More immediately, neurogenesis research has provided yet another great reason to get up, get out and get moving.

The research report was published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

You can find David DiSalvo on Twitter @neuronarrative and at his website, The Daily Brain.

Article sourced from: http://www.forbes.com/sites/daviddisalvo/2013/10/13/how-exercise-makes-your-brain-grow/

 

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Cardio, Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Boomers, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Coffs Harbour, Exercise with a Friend, Group Exercise, Health, Healthy Information, Healthy Inspirations, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Mind & Body, Misc Information, Nutrition, Obesity, Personal Trainer, Running, Seniors Fitness, Stength Training, Stress, Weight Loss, Well Being | Leave a Comment »

Ways to Boost Your Exercise Motivation

July 20, 2014

motivation

Debbe Geiger could summarize her feelings about exercise in two words. “It stinks,” she’d say.

But then her thinking changed when — after much urging from friends who wanted her to play with them — she joined a volleyball team. Now, she’s at the gym with a convert’s fervor on game nights because she doesn’t want to let her teammates down.

“There have been lots of reasons I could have missed, and I haven’t,” says Geiger of Cary, N.C.

Her experience illustrates what exercise experts have known for years: To stick with an exercise routine, you need a reason to carry on when that little voice inside says, “Sit on the couch. Have a doughnut.”

And just knowing that exercise is good for you doesn’t seem to be enough to get you moving.

 Carla Sottovia, assistant director of fitness at the Cooper Fitness Institute in Dallas, says, “You may have had a bad experience in school, or maybe you’re afraid you’ll hurt yourself. Maybe you’re even afraid to sweat.”

Intimidation is a factor also, experts say. When you’re out of shape, it takes courage to don workout duds and head for the gym.

If any of this sounds familiar, don’t give up hope. Here are fitness inspiration tips from fitness experts and exercise converts that are guaranteed to help you learn how to love moving.

 Be Realistic

First-time exercisers often set unrealistic goals that are too ambitious for beginners. Gerald Endress, fitness director of the Duke Diet and Fitness Center in Durham, N.C. says, “They want to go for maximal goals, but they tend to get overwhelmed.”

So don’t start off trying to work out an hour every day. Instead, set more reasonable, achievable goals, like exercising 20 to 30 minutes two or three times a week.

Keep Track of Your Progress

Remember to chart your progress, whether it’s with a high-tech online tracker or an old-school fitness journal. Seeing incremental improvements, whether it’s improved time, increased reps, or greater frequency of workouts, can boost your exercise motivation.

Don’t Expect Perfection

Another pitfall is all-or-nothing thinking, a perfectionist way of looking at life that leads to giving up when you miss a day or two or your workout doesn’t go well. Endress says if you accept that there will be some sidesteps on your fitness journey, you’ll be better prepared mentally to deal with setbacks.

Expect that you’ll get sick from time to time, and be psychologically prepared to miss a few days of exercise when that happens. Don’t let it be an excuse for giving up. “From then on, many people say, ‘I can’t exercise,'” Endress says. “But there’s always a way to exercise.”

To keep injuries from sidelining you, do your best to prevent them by warming up, cooling down, stretching properly, and not doing too much too soon.

Don’t Compare Yourself to Others

 We’ve all seen those toned, fatless specimens who strut through the gym in their Barbie-sized shorts and sports bras.

Don’t compare yourself to them, Endress says. Forget about them. Forgive them. But do not let them deter you from your goal.

Get Support

Enlist the help of your spouse, girlfriends, boyfriends, buddies — anyone who will encourage you to stay on track.

“The person should be in support, but not say, ‘Why can’t you? It’s so easy,'” says Sottovia. If helpful reassurance turns into criticism, gently remind your pal that you don’t need nagging.

 If you need additional help, hire a trainer, she advises.

Find the Fun In It

Sottovia and Endress both say it’s essential to find an activity you like. With an explosion in the number and types of fitness classes at most gyms, it has become easier to find something to appeal to you, from aerobics to Zumba.

If you’re not the gym type, walk around your neighborhood or try activities around the house, such as walking up and down stairs or dancing with the stars in your living room. If you’re motivated by being social, follow Geiger’s lead and join a team.

Break It Up

You can make it easier on yourself by splitting your exercise session into two or three sessions, says Endress. Research supports the idea that this can be as beneficial as one long workout, he says.

So, for example, if you don’t feel like exercising for an hour on any given day, do three sessions of 20 minutes each.

Make It Convenient

Do whatever you can to remove obstacles to exercise, and make it as convenient as possible, says Sottovia.

If you are time-pressed, for example, don’t spend 30 minutes driving to a gym. Try exercising at home to fitness DVDs instead. If you’re too tired to work out at the end of the day, set your alarm a little earlier and exercise in the morning.

Forget the Past

Don’t let previous bad experiences with exercise hinder you, Sottovia says.

So maybe you weren’t the most athletic kid in high school and were the last chosen for class games. That was years ago. Your goal now is not to win a letter jacket or make the cheerleading squad — you want to exercise to stay healthy and enjoy your life.

Reward Yourself

Treat yourself for making the effort to exercise — not with food, but with something that you enjoy, like a movie or flowers, says Endress

Try to think of indulgences that will reinforce a mind-body connection so you can savor the rewards of your hard work. Plan a short trip, or just an hour in a botanical garden. Go to a ball game. And remind yourself with each precious moment that you are enjoying this time because of all the great things you have been doing for yourself.

 

Article sourced from: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/exercise-motivation

 

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Accountable, Body Image, Buddy System, Cardio, Coffs Coast, Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Boomers, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Coffs Coast Kids Club, Core Strength, Detox, Diabetes, Drink Water, Exercise with a Friend, Fitness, Group Exercise, Health, Healthy Information, Healthy Inspirations, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Massage, Mind & Body, Misc Information, Nutrition, Obesity, Personal Trainer, Running, Sawtell, Seniors Fitness, Stength Training, Stress, superfoods, Weight Loss, Well Being | Leave a Comment »

Active seniors can lower heart attack risk by doing more, not less

May 20, 2014

Maintaining or boosting your physical activity after age 65 can improve your heart’s electrical well-being and lower your risk of heart attack, according to a study in the American Heart Association journal Circulation.senior

In heart monitor recordings taken over five years, researchers found that people who walked more and faster and had more physically active leisure time had fewer irregular heart rhythms and greater heart rate variability than those who were less active.

Heart rate variability is differences in the time between one heartbeat and the next during everyday life.

“These small differences are influenced by the health of the heart and the nervous system that regulates the heart,” said Luisa Soares-Miranda, Ph.D., lead author of the study and a researcher at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston and the Faculty of Sport at the University of Porto in Portugal. “Early abnormalities in this system are picked up by changes in heart rate variability, and these changes predict the risk of future heart attacks and death.”

The researchers evaluated 24-hour heart monitor recordings of 985 adults (average age 71 at baseline) participating in the community-based Cardiovascular Health Study, a large study of heart disease risk factors in people 65 and older.

During the study, they found:

  • The more physical activity people engaged in, the better their heart rate variability.
  • Participants who increased their walking distance or pace during the five years had better heart rate variability than those who reduced how much or how fast they walked.

“Any physical activity is better than none, but maintaining or increasing your activity has added heart benefits as you age,” Soares-Miranda said. “Our results also suggest that these certain beneficial changes that occur may be reduced when physical activity is reduced.”

The researchers calculated that the difference between the highest and lowest levels of physical activity would translate into an estimated 11 percent lower risk of heart attack or sudden cardiac death.

“So if you feel comfortable with your usual physical activity, do not slow down as you get older—try to walk an extra block or walk at a faster pace,” Soares-Miranda said. “If you’re not physically active, it is never too late to start.”

 

This article was sourced and appeared on: http://medicalxpress.com/news/2014-05-seniors-heart.html

Tags:, , , , ,
Posted in Body Image, Cardio, Coffs Coast, Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Coffs Coast Kids Club, Coffs Harbour, Core Strength, Diabetes, Drink Water, Exercise with a Friend, Fitness, Group Exercise, Health, Healthy Inspirations, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Mind & Body, Misc Information, Nutrition, Obesity, Personal Trainer, Running, Sawtell, Seniors Fitness, Stength Training, Stress, Toormina, Uncategorized | Leave a Comment »

7 Most Effective Exercises

April 6, 2014

No. 1: Walking

Why it’s a winner: You can walk anywhere, anytime. Use a treadmill or hit the streets. All you need is a good pair of shoes.

How to: If you’re just starting to walk for fitness, begin with five to 10 minutes at a time. Add a few minutes to each walk until you get to at least 30 minutes per walk. Add time to your walks before you  quicken your pace or add hills.

No. 2: Interval Training

Why it’s a winner: Interval training lets you boost fitness, burn more calories, and lose weight. The basic idea is to vary the intensity within your workout, instead of going at a steady pace.

How to: Whether you walk, run, dance, or do another cardio exercise, push up the pace for a minute or two. Then back off for two to 10 minutes. Exactly how long your interval should last depends on the length of your workout and how much recovery time you need. A trainer can fine-tune the pacing.. Repeat the intervals throughout your workout.

No. 3: Squats

Why it’s a winner: Squats work several muscle groups — your quadriceps (“quads”), hamstrings, and gluteals (“glutes”) — at the same time.

How to: Keep your feet shoulder-width apart and your back straight. Bend your knees and lower your rear as if you were sitting down in a chair. Keep your knees right over your ankles.

Squats Done RightTrainer demonstrating proper form for squats

Practice with a real chair to master this move. First, sit all the way down in the chair and stand back up. Next, barely touch the chair’s seat before standing back up. Work up to doing the squats without a chair, keeping the same form.

No. 4: LungesTrainer demonstrating proper form for lunges

Why it’s a winner: Like squats, lunges work all the major muscles of your lower body. They can also improve your balance.

How to: Take a big step forward, keeping your back straight. Bend your front knee to about 90 degrees. Keep weight on your back toes and drop the back knee toward the floor. Don’t let the back knee touch the floor.

Lunges: Extra Challenge

Try stepping not just forward, but also back and out to each side, with each lunge.

No. 5: Push-Ups

Why it’s a winner: Push-ups strengthen your chest, shoulders, triceps, and core muscles.

How to: Facing down, place your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Place your toes on the floor. If that’s too hard, start with your knees on the floor. Your body should make a straight line from shoulders to knees or feet. Keep your rear-end muscles and abs engaged. Bend your elbows to lower down until you almost touch the floor. Lift back up by pushing through your elbows, Keep your torso in a straight line throughout the move.

Push-Ups: Too Hard? Too Easy?

If you’re new to push-ups you can start doing them by leaning into a kitchen counter. As you get stronger, go lower, using a desk or chair. Then you can move onto the floor, starting with your knees bent. For a challenge, put your feet on a stair, bench, or couch while keeping good form.

Crunches — Method A

Start by lying on your back with your feet flat on the floor and your head resting in your palms. Press your lower back down. Contract your abdominal muscles (abs) and in one smooth move, raise your head, then your neck, shoulders, and upper back off the floor. Tuck in your chin slightly. Lower back down and repeat.

Crunches — Method B

You can also do crunches with your feet off the floor and knees bent. This technique may keep you from arching your back. It also uses your hip flexors (muscles on your upper thighs below your hip bones).

Mastering CrunchesTrainer showing improper form for crunches

Keep your neck in line with your spine. Tuck in your chin so it doesn’t stick out. Breathe normally.
To keep chest and shoulders open, keep your elbows out of your line of vision.

No. 7: Bent-Over Row

Why it’s a winner: You work all the major muscles of your upper back, as well as your biceps.

How to: Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, bend your knees, and bend forward at the hips. Engage your abs without hunching your back. Hold weights beneath your shoulders, keeping your hands shoulder-width apart. Bend your elbows and lift both hands toward the sides of your body. Pause, then slowly lower your hands to the starting position.

Mastering Bent-Over Rows
Trainer showing bent-over row without weights

First, do this move without weights so you learn the right motions. If you have trouble doing bent-over rows while standing up, support your weight by sitting on an incline bench, facing backward.

 

Article sourced from: http://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Accountable, Body Image, Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Boomers, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Coffs Harbour, Core Strength, Exercise with a Friend, Fitness, Group Exercise, Health, Healthy Information, Healthy Inspirations, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Healthy Spine, Running, Stength Training, Stress, Uncategorized, Weight Loss, Well Being | Leave a Comment »

Why Australia doubled its exercise guidelines?

March 25, 2014

Australians are sitting down and lying around so much, experts have doubled the recommended amount of exercise and say we need to get up out of our chairs – even if we already do “enough” exercise.

More and more studies are finding links between “sedentary behaviour” and weight gain, type 2 diabetes, poor muscle tone, heart disease and dying earlier. The new guidelines are the first to explicitly address our love of lounging and our habit of sitting at work.

The latest advice is to ‘mix and match’ a range of activities, and to think of exercise as simple habits that can be built into your day.

Sit

What are the new guidelines?

The Government’s new guidelines are called the Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour Guidelines.

Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you currently do no physical activity, start by doing some, and gradually build up to the recommended amount.

Accumulate 150 to 300 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous intensity physical activity, or an equivalent combination of both moderate and vigorous activities, each week.

Be active on most, preferably all, days every week.

Do muscle strengthening activities on at least two days each week.

Minimise the amount of time spent in prolonged sitting. Break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.

What is ‘sedentary behaviour’?

Being ‘sedentary’ means sitting or lying down for long periods (not including sleeping). So, a person can do enough physical activity to meet the guidelines and still be considered sedentary if they spend a large amount of their day sitting or lying down at work, at home, for study, for travel or during their leisure time.

ABC Health and Wellbeing’s Claudine Ryan explains:

Experts say we’re sedentary on average for seven to 10 hours a day (and this doesn’t include our time spent sleeping). Even if you are meeting, or exceeding, the recommended 60 minutes a day of moderate intensity physical activity, you can still be considered sedentary. (This group of people is sometimes referred to as ‘active couch potatoes’.)

While researchers are still trying to understand exactly why sedentary behaviour has such a negative effect on our health, it appears to be related to how our bodies process fats and sugars. There are enzymes involved in this process that are released when certain muscles contract during standing. When you sit for prolonged periods the production and activity of these enzymes appears to slow down.

Q&A: putting the guidelines into practice

Professor Wendy Brown from the University of Queensland’s School of Human Movement Studies was lead author on the report that led to the new guidelines. We asked her a few questions about the reasons for the new recommendations, and how she sticks to them in her own life.

Why have you included ‘sedentary behaviour’ (sitting or lying down, except for sleeping) in the new guidelines?

Two main reasons: 1. There is growing evidence that too much sitting is bad for health. Specifically, when muscles are not moving, metabolites – especially fats – are not cleared from the bloodstream as quickly. High circulating levels of triglycerides – fats – eventually lead to metabolic illnesses like diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The latest evidence is that the effects worsen when daily sitting time is more than seven hours. 2. We figure that if people sit less, then unless they just stand still (unlikely) they will be moving, which is good for them! My personal view is: it is all about moving more.

If more than half of Australian adults are already not meeting the old guidelines, why have you recommended people do even more exercise than before?

Our latest data say that more than half of young adults meet the old guidelines and about half of mid-age people do. But on average Australians are gaining weight at the rate of about 500 grams per year, so we all need to move more. Increasing weight leads to diabetes, cardiovascular disease, some cancers, arthritis, back pain, the list goes on. And of the half who do meet the old guidelines, half of them do enough to meet the new ones. So if one quarter of the population can do this – it is not a big ask?

What sorts of things do you do when you’re at work, to avoid sitting for too long?

I have a standing desk and try to stand most of the day. I walk across the campus to get coffee and/or lunch. Sometimes I do walking meetings – it is a nice campus – but at the moment it is too hot. I have a bottle of water and I drink it as it makes me take a break to go to the loo. I go 30 metres to the printer! A friend of mine stands up to answer the phone and stands up every time someone walks in. I am already standing so I can’t do that; in fact I often sit down when students come in to discuss something.

Can we compensate for a lot of sitting by doing a lot of exercise outside work hours?

The jury is out on this one. Some would say sitting is an independent risk factor – something that raises the risk of disease by itself, without other factors coming into play – but this view is being questioned. My take on it is that if you sit for 10 hours a day, then doing 30 minutes of walking won’t help much in terms of ‘cleaning out’ the blood vessels, but maybe if you went to a vigorous aerobics class for an hour then the compensation idea takes shape. Look at athletes who train hard for two hours each morning then lie about all day – they are fit and healthy. So yes, it is my view that you can compensate but the ‘experiments’ have not been done to answer that precisely yet. Data from cohort studies – like our Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health – are certainly showing combined effect of sitting and inactivity are very bad.

Is it better to do big bursts of exercise, or to spread it out over the week?

Tricky question – I told you this was complicated. We are proposing that exercise is like medicine, but nice medicine! So we need to take a dose every day. Getting back to those lipids – if you ‘clean them out’ every day they won’t have chance to be deposited on the walls of the blood vessels. Having said that, a big burst of vigorous exercise might work like a hose and clean things up? Seriously, evidence shows that ‘weekend warriors’ – those who only exercise on the weekend – do reap benefits, but there are very few studies. So yes – weekend golf for five hours (that’s your 300 minutes!) is great, but a little every day would be even better. Hence the second guideline: try to do something every day.

How do you personally make sure you meet the exercise guidelines?

I bike to and from work – it is 15 minutes each way – so that gets to the lower end of the range (30 mins) on weekdays. Some days I ride to work the long way round – that is 45 mins, then 15 mins back or vice versa. So that’s the hour. I try to do that twice a week. If it is raining I walk instead – it takes 35 minutes each way. So I get my ‘base’ activity through transport to work. To be honest that is all I do some weeks when I am really busy at work (always!?) But I do try to do a longer ride at the weekend – maybe two hours, but I am very slow, and I try to fit in dancing classes whenever I can – maybe one evening or a weekend class each week.

In what ways does having more muscle benefit our bodies?

More muscle means all those metabolites – products of metabolism, for example fats – are taken up and used. The more we work, the bigger the muscles, the better we remove metabolites from the blood vessels. There are receptors on the muscle walls that are very important for regulating blood sugar and therefore preventing diabetes. No muscles equals no receptors equals increases in insulin and related endocrine problems.

Not everyone can get to the gym twice a week for a weights session. What sorts of things do you do for muscle strengthening?

I go to pilates and yoga classes as often as I can – maybe once, sometimes twice a week. And if I can’t get there I try to do strengthening exercises at home while I am watching TV: sit-ups, that sort of thing. Last weekend I clipped the hedge with hand shears, not an electric cutter. It is quite big so I think my arms had a bit of a workout. Gardening is a very under-rated form of exercise – especially if you are digging and pushing a barrow of soil or mulch.

Is it ok to be overweight if you’re fit or should you try get your weight down as well?

Being overweight (ie BMI 25-30) is fine if you are fit, but being obese (BMI 30+) is never healthy.

If you are overweight I would say focus on being fit and don’t worry about weight.

We hear that weight loss is mostly about diet, not exercise. Why should people focus so much on moving?

Because moving uses energy, not only during the exercise but afterwards as well. If people use dieting to lose weight they are more likely to maintain the weight loss if they increase their exercise levels as well. The new guidelines are not about weight loss but the evidence suggests you should do an hour a day of exercise to lose weight. Obviously, the more you want to lose the more you must move and the less you must eat.

Have you ever had a time when you couldn’t do exercise, and if so how did you get back into it?

I travel a lot for work and often there are periods when I can’t ride my bike, so I try to walk as much as I can, wherever I can. Last year I was clocking more than 20,000 pedometer steps a day on a work trip by walking everywhere. It is difficult to move much on long-haul flights but many airports around the world have opportunities to walk miles between connecting flights, especially if you walk instead of taking the little train – if it is allowed, as it is Hong Kong for example.

Following illness or injury I mostly try to walk or swim to get back into things.

By Cristen Tilley; Illustrations by Lucy Fahey

Tags:, , ,
Posted in Coffs Coast Health Club, Coffs Coast Health Club Boomers, Coffs Coast Health Club Seniors, Healthy Inspirations Coffs Harbour, Nutrition, Obesity, Personal Trainer, Running, Seniors Fitness, Stength Training, Uncategorized, Weight Loss, Well Being | Leave a Comment »

« Older Entries