Prairie Post (East Edition)

Moving more in 2021 is critical

- LISA DOYLE By Lisa Doyle

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 is 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, and the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, the Public Health Agency of Canada, and ParticipAC­TION. The Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines highlight the importance of physical activity and sleep and sedentary behavior. The guidelines 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 (2020) 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 8 hours or less, which includes:” (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 to 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” (Participac­tion, 2020) has an abundance of tools and tips to help Canadians find more ways to move throughout your day and additional­ly, how to improve your sleeping habits while also reducing your sedentary time. Whether you are at work or home, there are ways to add movement to help break up sitting time.

Here are a few tips from ParticipAC­TION (2020) 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 stand

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

Lisa Doyle is a Health Promotion Facilitato­r with AHS and can be reached by e-mail, lisa.doyle@ahs.ca

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