8/26/2020 0 Comments Physical Activity GuidelinesSo, I am a numbers person. I always excelled at math because I "got" numbers. Numbers are pretty important when it comes to your health. There's your blood pressure reading, your red and white blood cell count, your body temperature, your cholesterol levels, your weight, your height, your BMI, your heart rate, etc. These are all numbers that are super important to doctors when it comes to your health. There are also numbers that are super important to me when it comes to your health. These would include your body fat percentage (probably one of the most important numbers to watch!), your weight, your waist, hip, thigh, and chest circumferences, your max heart rate, and your VO2 max. Most of these would be calculated during our first session together if I was your personal trainer. Other numbers that I think are so important to your health and wellness are the amount of time it is recommended for you to exercise - the ACSM (American College of Sports Medicine) Physical Activity Guidelines. According to the ACSM website, both the ACSM and the CDC recommend that "healthy adults aged 18-65 should participate in moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 min on five days per week, or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 min on three days per week AND every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance for a minimum of two days per week." (Check out my previous blog post on "Are you making this serious mistake?") Does that sound overwhelming to you or does that sound doable? We are all so crazy busy, but I bet you can find 30 minutes 5 days a week to workout! Go for a brisk walk 3 days a week and do some strength training the other two days and then you get 2 days of rest! When you break it down like that, and schedule those 30 minutes into your calendar or to-do list, YOU GOT THIS! Tons of research has been done on the detrimental affects of sitting too much. The majority of us have jobs that require us to sit for long periods of time, which has been shown to be detrimental to our health, making getting the recommended amount of physical activity even more important and it is recommended that if you sit for large portions of your day that you should aim for closer to 300 minutes of weekly activity as opposed to the 150 minutes. Lucky for you, I do have some tips to help you out if you do sit for large portions of your day!
1. Get up and walk around for 3-5 minutes each hour. I have an Apple Watch that reminds me to do so the last 10 minutes of each hour if I haven't gotten up during that hour. Is it annoying sometimes? YES! Does it make me get off my butt? YES! Even if you don't have an Apple Watch or Fit Bit, set an alarm at 50 minutes past each hour and get up off your bottom for a few minutes! 2. Get a standing desk or just work standing up. No need to buy anything special for your standing desk - just pile up a bunch of books or boxes and set your computer on top! Even if you're not walking, standing is WAY better than sitting! I have a friend that gets to use a treadmill desk at her job - how cool it that??? Another option is to sit on an exercise ball instead of a regular chair. Sitting on the ball requires you to activate your core, so you're working out while your typing at your computer! 3. During your 3-5 minutes of getting up off your butt, try to do some stretches. I know my neck and upper back get so sore from sitting and working on my computer. I'll plan on doing a separate blog post on stretches to do throughout your day to keep you from getting stiff. Comment below with any additional tips you have regarding either getting up each hour or getting in your recommended amount of physical activity each week. Stay healthy and active, Christina
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CategoriesAuthorChristina Brown. Mom. Personal Trainer. Fitness Instructor. Archives
September 2020
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