How Much Exercise Should You Be Doing?

Ever wondered how much exercise is actually enough? The Australian guidelines for physical activity have recently been updated. It can be found at www.health.gov.au and outlines' how much activity we should be doing. This is a great resource and we recommend you have a read. We’ve condensed some of the information below and provided some additional insight below.

Children (5-17)

• At least 60 minutes each day of moderate to vigorous physical activity that makes the heart beat faster. More is better (Within reason).
• It doesn’t have to be a full 60 minutes at once – several shorter sessions through the day work too.
• At least 3 days per week, children and young people should incorporate vigorous activities and activities that strengthen muscle and bone in the 60 minutes.

 
Adults (18-65)

• Adults should be active most days, preferably every day.
• Each week, adults should do either:

• 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity – such as a brisk walk, golf, mowing the lawn or swimming
• 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity – such as jogging, aerobics, fast cycling, soccer or netball
• an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities.

• Include muscle-strengthening activities as part of your daily physical activity on at least 2 days each week. (* The science is quite clear on the significant benefits of strength training)

 
Older Adults (65+)

• At least 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all, days. If this is too difficult to start with break it down to 10-minute sessions.
• If you can do more than 30 minutes, you will get extra benefits.
• Try to incorporate different types of activities – strength, cardiovascular.
• Reduce the time you spend sitting down – break that time up as often as you can.

 
Pregnancy
If you and your baby are healthy, you should aim to meet the physical and sedentary behaviour guidelines for adults during pregnancy. This means being active most days, preferably every day, to a weekly total of either:

• 2.5 to 5 hours of moderate intensity physical activity
• 1.25 to 2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity 
• an equivalent combination of moderate and vigorous activities

Do muscle strengthening activities at least 2 days each week. Aim to do strengthening activities, such as light resistance training or bodyweight exercises.
Doing any physical activity is better than doing none. If you do no physical activity right now, start by doing some, then slowly build up to the recommended amount.
 
Disability and Chronic health conditions
 
For some people with disability, physical activity can be a challenge. This can be due to mobility issues or a lack of accessible and inclusive gyms and other exercise spaces.
The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare has found that almost three-quarters of people aged 15 and over with disability do not do enough physical activity. This compares with about half of those without disability.
If you can, try to meet the physical activity recommendations for your age group. Any activity is better than none, and it’s important to do activities that are appropriate to your ability.
If you haven’t been active, speak with your doctor before starting anything new, then start slow, and build up over a few weeks. Stop exercising and speak with your doctor or physiotherapist if you experience any pain, discomfort, nausea, chest pain or shortness of breath.
You may be entitled to see a Physiotherapist or Exercise Physiologist through the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
 
Our advice
If we ever want advice on something we like to get my information from people in the field. What kind of car to buy? Ask a mechanic. Thinking of getting new kitchen knives? Talk to a chef. You get the idea.
 
As a physio with a background in exercise science, health and exercise is our field. We’ve seen what works and what doesn’t. There is a phenomenal amount of scientific research on exercise that we stay up to date with. So, for anyone that is interested here is our best tips on exercise.
 
Nearly everyone feels like they should exercise more, and they probably should based off the guidelines above. If exercise was a medication some form of it would be prescribed by every doctor for everyone at every age. 
 
There are a multitude of excuses people use not to exercise – time, cost, injury, boredom to name a few.  With a bit of understanding, planning, and advice usually we can get most people doing something that works for them.
 
In our opinion there is no “one” exercise that is superior to everything else. A mixture of exercise types is actually likely to be superior to just doing one type all the time. Finding something that a client can do consistently, safely for a long period are ideal.  Below are a few of the things we look for when choosing an exercise program:

1. Exercise should ideally be something you enjoy! The reason for this is you are doing something with pure will power alone there will come a time where an excuse is just a bit to strong and you will stop.
2. It should be challenging. Now this varies from person to person and what the overall goal is. A gentle walk for a fit and healthy person is not challenging enough to the body so wouldn’t classify as exercise. We're not saying don’t go for walks - but do make them more challenging. Walk faster, up and down hills or make the walk extra long. Alternatively keep doing your walks for the pure enjoyment of it and do something else for exercise.
3. Be consistent. Health is the cumulation of repeated exercise sessions. We would much rather our clients do 5 x 30 min exercise sessions rather than one mammoth 3 hour session. There is a bit of biology behind this one. Put simply our body responds to exercise (stimulus). If we are “stimulating” the body with exercise multiple times per week we will see a bigger result than 1 big hit.  

What the above 3 points look like will vary from person to person depending on a multitude of factors. If all this is a little overwhelming, you’re not alone - there is an entire industry to help you out. Use these 3 questions to see what exercise might work for you and if you need extra help book in with a health professional – we would recommend either an exercise physiologist or a physiotherapist (we have both on the team) with an interest in exercise to tailor a program for you.

Want to see one of our Tarragindi Physios? Give us a call on 07 3706 3407 or check out our Bookings tab to find the right person and time to suit you!
 
Keep your eyes peeled and we will show you what our team do for exercise.