Physical Activity Guidelines

• Guidelines for Children
• Utah Walks.org

How much physical activity should I be getting?

In 1996 the US Surgeon General issued a report on physical activity and health. This report suggests that even moderate intensity physical activity can provide important health benefits. The following physical activity message comes from this report:

"Every American should accumulate 30 minutes or more of moderate intensity physical activity on most, preferably all days of the week."

This message complements, not replaces, the old fitness message: exercise three times a week for 20 minutes of continuous movement, with a heart rate in the target heart rate zone . The fact is, any type of increased physical activity will provide many health benefits.

Benefits of Physical Activity

In his 1996 report the Surgeon General lists these as the major benefits of exercise:

• Reduces your risk of heart disease
• Helps control weight
• Helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles and joints
• Enhances emotional and mental well-being
• Increases your ability to work effectively
• Helps older adults become stronger and better able to move about without falling
• Helps you enjoy leisure time

What is "moderate activity"?

Physical activity does not have to be vigorous to have health benefits. Anything that gets you moving and stretching will make your heart and body stronger and healthier. Here are a few suggestions:

To avoid soreness and injury, individuals contemplating an increase in physical activity should start out slowly, gradually building up to the desired amount.

Above all, Have Fun!!

What if I am already active?

In the U.S. Surgeon General's report on physical activity and health, it also states that greater health benefits can be achieved by increasing the amount of physical activity already being done. Because the amount of activity is a function of duration, intensity, and frequency, the same amount of activity can be obtained in longer sessions of moderately intense activities (such as brisk walking), and in shorter sessions of more strenuous activities (such as running).

What if I have Arthritis?

Regular physical activity can decrease arthritis pain and stiffness and increase flexibility, muscle strength, cardiac fitness, and overall endurance. In addition to regular physical activity, maintaining a healthy weight decreases risks for heart disease, stroke, some cancers, and arthritis. In fact, every one pound of body weight lost reduces the stress on each knee by 4 to 8 pounds, depending on the type of activity. Therefore, losing 10 pounds reduces the stress on each knee by 40 to 80 pounds. Every one pound of body weight lost reduces 3 pounds of stress off the hip; therefore, losing 10 pounds reduces the stress off each hip by 30 pounds.

The Arthritis Foundation offers several evidence-based programs that can help increase the quality of life of individuals, who are affected by arthritis, through physical activity. For more information on how physical activity and maintaining your weight can help relieve arthritis pain, contact the UAP at 801-538-9340 or visit www.health.utah.gov/arthritis. To find out about class times and locations contact the Utah Arthritis Foundation at 801-536-0990 or visit their web site at www.arthritis.org.

What about frequency, duration, and time?

A moderate amount of physical activity is roughly equivalent to physical activity that uses approximately 150 Calories of energy per day, or 1000 Calories per week. Some activities can be performed at various intensities; the suggested durations below correspond to expected intensity of effort:

What about my heart rate?

To get the most from your activity, keep track of your heart rate. Your heart should beat faster than normal during exercise. How fast it should beat depends on your age. Each person has a heart rate target zone, to find the number of beats per minute (bpm), you should count your pulse for 60 seconds. Then, check for your target zone by finding your age in the chart below:

• 20 years: 120 -150 bpm
• 25 years: 117 - 146 bpm
• 30 years: 114 - 142 bpm
• 35 years: 111 - 138 bpm
• 40 years: 108 -135 bpm
• 45 years: 105 - 131 bpm
• 50 years: 102 - 127 bpm
• 55 years: 99 - 120 bpm
• 60 years: 93 - 116 bpm
• 70 years: 90 - 113 bp

Here are some helpful hints to make your workout more fun

• Choose both outside and inside activities, and alternate.
• Begin your exercise program slowly.
• Set goals and work toward them.
• Ask someone to join you.