Short Bursts of Exercise Help
What’s the minimum amount of recommended physical activity?
The current Australian guidelines for physical activity recommends that you perform 5 hours of moderate intensity or 2 ½ hours of vigorous exercise per week. Yes – that’s the minimum recommendation. And it gets better…
It’s also recommended that this activity be performed in short bursts during the day. This opens the door to a quick lunchtime walk, combined with a few walks to the shops.
It also means that someone who stays active for short bursts during the day may effectively be healthier than someone who sits at a desk all day before pumping iron for an hour every weeknight.
Are You Time Poor for Exercise?
“But I have work to do, I don’t have time to exercise at work!” This is a common exclamation. I’ve been guilty of it myself – especially with a family. And doubly so if you are experiencing back to work pains.
Thankfully, it is very easy to incorporate exercise into your workday. It’s just a matter of changing a few habits, or making new ones. You can start by moving your rubbish bin to the furthest corner of your workspace.
Yes, it’s a tad annoying – but it also forces you to make incremental exercise every time you need to use the bin.
You could even make a habit of taking every phone call standing up.
Instead of emailing your colleague, you could walk over to their desk and talk to them. How about taking the stairs up to the office after your lunch break – in fact, our lunch break is the best time to do some form of exercise. Most people will have an allocated lunch break of an hour. How much of this time do you spend still sitting at your desk checking emails or social media? This time should be used to go for a walk, be social about it and take a friend or colleague with you.
The benefits of exercising throughout the day reach far beyond heart health. In moving more, you are able to keep better posture, thus decreasing your chances of posture related neck and back pain. You will be more stimulated, allowing for better focus which could increase your work efficiency and also have a positive effect on your mood.
And staying healthy will prolong the benefits of your osteopathy treatments.