As the weather now begins to change; so does the topic for this ‘tip of the month.’ For October’s edition we are going to discuss the exercise guidelines for the general population.
Heading into the dark and cold winter nights- exercise suddenly becomes less appealing. However, your body will not thank you for ditching the runners for the sofa. It is still important to maintain an exercise regime. The American College of Sports Medicine’s guidelines are widely accepted as the ‘gold standard’ for exercise prescription.
These guidelines state that “all healthy adults aged 18–65 years should participate in moderate intensity aerobic physical activity for a minimum of 30 minutes on five days per week, or vigorous intensity aerobic activity for a minimum of 20 minutes on three days per week.” In addition to this they stipulate that “every adult should perform activities that maintain or increase muscular strength and endurance for a minimum of two days per week”.
In regard to the aerobic exercise, this is exercise that gets your heart rate up! The form of exercise is optional- walking, cycling, jogging, swimming or rowing are all popular modalities. Moderate intensity would be classified as exercising to the point when you are lightly sweating but comfortable. 30 minutes of this moderate intensity exercise is necessary to elicit benefit from it. Vigorous intensity is then classified as exercising to the point that you find it difficult to maintain a conversation during your activity. As this puts more stress on your body, 20minutes is sufficient to elicit a benefit. Interval training- where you increase your effort in intermittent bouts is a time-efficient and popular modality for more vigorous aerobic training.
In addition to the aerobic exercise, you do need supplementary muscular strengthening. This is often known as resistance training. Put simply- this is an activity that puts an isolated muscle group under intense pressure- such as lifting weights in the gym. This form of exercise will stress your body in a different way to the aerobic exercise and is more effective at maintaining muscle power and definition. It does not have to be weights training either! Body weight exercises at home can be just as effective. The exercises need to target all the major muscle groups of the body. The main muscle groups are your calf, hamstring and quadriceps muscles in your legs, your bicep, tricep and deltoid muscles in your arms and your abdominal, pectorial and latissimus dorsi muscles in your trunk. To increase power and muscle size you should aim for lifting higher resistance for less repetitions (eg. 3x6) and to increase muscular endurance you should aim for a more manageable resistance but for more repetitions (eg 3x12).
You should always consult with your physician before beginning any exercise program. Before performing any exercise program remember to think about your current level of physical health and whether you are able to participate in exercise. Here at the Bon Secours Physiotherapy Department, we regularly compile evidence based exercise plans for our clients and would be happy to help you out. All of our physiotherapists are Chartered and are CORU Registered. We are continually training and upskilling so we can provide expert care for Sports Injuries, Pain Management, Vestibular Rehabilitation, Bone Health & Osteoporosis, Hand Therapy and Orthopaedic Issues.
