Is your family following the right exercise program?

The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommends for all adults over 18 who are able to should perform:

150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise per week or a combination of
Muscle-strengthening (resistance training) involving major muscle groups on 2 or more days a week.

For additional benefit, the WHO recommends that people should consider increasing the level of moderate exercise to 300 minutes and/or vigorous exercise to 150 minutes per week.

Bouts of aerobic exercise should be in at least 10-minute blocks.

The benefits of resistance training cannot be underestimated either, with a recent study stating that performing 3 sessions of aerobic exercise and 2 sessions of resistance training per week provide more cardiovascular benefit that performing 5 sessions of aerobic exercise per week*.

The above holds for both adults 18-64 and for those aged 65 and over, with the benefits to those aged over 65 including:

lower rates of all-cause mortality, coronary heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, colon and breast cancer, and depression
are likely to have less risk of a hip or vertebral fracture
exhibit a higher level of cardiorespiratory and muscular fitness
are more likely to achieve weight maintenance, have a healthier body mass and body composition.

Adults who currently do not meet the recommendations for physical activity should aim to increase duration, frequency, and finally intensity as a target to achieve them. The assistance of a qualified health professional such as a physiotherapist can be vital for this group of people in achieving good outcomes.

The American College of Sports Medicine recommends neuromotor exercises two or three days a week & suggests participating in activities like yoga and Pilates. Functional resistance movements involving a significant degree of balance and multiple muscle groups might also help fulfill the recommendations for neuromotor exercise. Our GLA:D exercise classes fit the bill for combining strength, balance, and neuromotor exercises for people with knee and hip osteoarthritis.

Children 5-17 years should participate in 60 minutes of moderate to vigorous intensity daily physical activity.

Amounts of physical activity greater than 60 minutes provide additional health benefits. Most of the daily physical activity should be aerobic. Vigorous-intensity activities should be incorporated, including those that strengthen muscle and bone such as running, jumping, or weight-bearing sports at least 3 times per week.

The appropriate practice of physical activity assists young people to:

develop healthy musculoskeletal tissues (i.e. bones, muscles and joints);
develop a healthy cardiovascular system (i.e. heart and lungs);
develop neuromuscular awareness (i.e. coordination and movement control);
maintain healthy body weight.

To help you better determine “who is able to”.

If the pain you experience is greater than 3.5/10 (10/10 is the sort of pain you may expect from losing a leg in a car accident) then consider slowing down. If the pain you experience after performing exercise persists at greater than 3.5/10 for a day after exercising consider trying to do a gentler form of exercise. Exertion levels should generally be only around 5/10 (10/10 equates to absolutely exhausted like you have worked hard physically for a full day).

We know several aged care residents walking a full kilometre within their residence in 4 efforts (250m x 4) through their day usually with a 4-wheel walking frame to assist with falls prevention. This takes them around 10 minutes for each walk depending on their pace. These aged care residents are getting 280 minutes of exercise per week.

To book in for a personalised exercise program or to attend one of our classes which range from Youth Strength to Clinical Pilates and Bones & Balance for older adults call us or book online for an Initial Assessment with a Form & Practice Physiotherapist in Olinda or Mt Evelyn today.