Here’s to an active New Year

Well, 2021 is here, and we are ready for it! With every New Year comes New Year’s resolutions, ranging from drinking more water to increasing your physical activity or even quitting smoking; the possibilities are endless. If you were not quite sure about setting goals for the New Year or were worried about taking the next steps, it’s not too late. Making life changes can happen any time of year, and it may be daunting, but with the right tools and support, it is possible.

Like many people, I have made the resolution to move more and decrease my sedentary time. To help achieve my goals, I will be following the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, developed by Queens University, the

Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, the Public Health Agency of Canada and Particip-ACTION. The guidelines highlight the importance of physical activity and sleep and sedentary behavior. They also include a new message of moving more and incorporating light physical activities for several hours throughout the day, including standing, which has been shown to have positive health effects (CSEP, 2020).

As many individuals continue spending more time at home during the pandemic, you may be asking yourself, how can I increase my physical activity and incorporate more movement into my day, and how much movement is enough? The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines are broken down into age categories, and for adults 18-64, the guidelines recommend the following:

Move more

• “Moderate to vigorous aerobic physical activities such that there is an accumulation of at least 150 minutes per week,” (CSEP, 2020).

• “Muscle strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice a week,” (CSEP, 2020).

• “Several hours of light physical activities, including standing,” (CSEP, 2020).

Reduce sedentary time

• “Limiting sedentary time to eight hours or less,” (CSEP, 2020).

• “No more than 3 hours of recreational screen time,” (CSEP, 2020).

• “Breaking up long periods of sitting as often as possible,” (CSEP, 2020).

Sleep well

• “Getting 7-9 hours of good-quality sleep on a regular basis, with consistent bed and wake-up times,” (CSEP, 2020).

Utilizing The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines not only can improve physical health, including increased fitness, strengthening muscles and bone health and reducing the risk of chronic diseases, but can also improve your mental health and wellbeing (ParticipACTION, 2020).

So how can we take these guidelines and put them into practice? ParticipACTION, a national non-profit organization focused on “changing behavior through a movement for more movement” has an abundance of tools and tips to help Canadians find more ways to move throughout the day and additionally, how to improve sleeping habits while also reducing sedentary time. Whether at work or home, there are ways to add movement to help break up sitting time.

Here are a few tips from ParticipACTION to add more movement into your day to help get you started.

• When possible, utilize active transportation, such as walking, biking, rollerblading, and more.

• Try out a walking meeting.

• Break up sitting time by taking micro breaks.

• Join an exercise class near your place of work so that it is easily accessible on your lunch break.

• Do you have a standing desk? Try using it, or try standing or pacing when on a call if possible.

• Dance it out. Put on your favorite music, and move to the beat.

• Take time to stretch.

• Housework, it may sound unenjoyable, but know that taking out the vacuum, mop or laundry can actually add to your physical activity.

For more tips, tools, and resources on how to incorporate more movement into your day and to access the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, check out the links below:

https://www.participaction.com/ en-ca/blog/no-gym-no-park-no-problem-introducing-our-physical-activityresource-guide https://csepguidelines.ca/ https://www.participaction.com/ en-ca