Hot off the Press: Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines

So after much anticipation the new Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines were officially released yesterday by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology.

You can check them out here.

Their release has sparked a lot of discussion. So I thought I would share some of it with you.

So what is good about the new guidelines:

1. They are based on science and research. The previous guidelines were only based on expert opinion.
2. They are less confusing than the previous guidelines. The old guidelines could be a bit tricky to understand fully. With the new guidelines the message is quite clear: Aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate -vigorous physical activity each week (for adults).
3. They are more realistic and achievable. The 150 minutes can be accumulated in at least 10 minute bouts (or more). Ten minutes littered throughout the day may seem more achievable to those who struggle to be active.
4. They are more inclusive with regards to different ages. The old guidelines were missing ages.
5. The new guidelines make is easier to measure physical activity levels. This is a good thing if you want to track the physical activity levels in your community!!!

Moving away from the good news, I want to chat a little about one aspect that has raised some questions and concern: What happened to flexibility and stretching?

Currently the literature on flexibility and stretching is very thin. Since the new guidelines are based on science and research, stretching recommendations needed to be left out.

Only in the older adult guidelines is there still a hint of the importance of flexibility. The new guidelines recommend that "Those with poor mobility should perform physical activities to enhance balance to prevent falls." So, some stretching exercises would fit under this recommendation.

Part of me understands completely why stretching was left out of the new guidelines. Recently I had to write a short article on stretching. Finding research and information that provided clear definitive answers on flexibility and stretching was very hard. In most cases I came up empty.

But on the other hand, I have seen what flexibility can do with the people I work directly with. It helped increase the mobility of a woman's arthritic knee. It helped improve the stride length of a runner, it helped a new mom bend down so she can pick up her baby. Stretching helped all these people in their own individual way.

And maybe that is the issue with doing research on stretching and flexibility. The benefits of stretching is so individually based (age, gender, injury, joint health, activity level, personal goals) that perhaps it is too hard to measure.

So... what does this mean to you? At the end of the day you know your participants, you know their goal's and their abilities. If stretching is going to help them then what is the harm of still encouraging them to do it?

Finding Time

I can’t believe its January.. and almost the middle of January!

December seemed to come and my time to do the fun tasks (like writing this blog) seemed to evaporate.

Ah- time, the fleeting entity we want to have more of, but simply can’t. This is why I am dedicating some of my blogging power to it.

As many of us know, lack of time is the most often cited barrier with regards to physical activity and exercise participation. Even for folks who believe physical activity should be a priority, who enjoy it and want to do, can often struggle finding time to be active.

Where does our time go??

* Work
* The commute to work
* Family
* Friends
* Commitments and responsibilities
* Watching TV
* Playing on the computer- ha!

The interesting thing with Lack of Time as a barrier is that is can be an actual REAL barrier. A person literally may not have any time to spare. However, it can also be a PERCEIVED barrier. This is when we believe we don’t have time, but in actuality it may have more to do with finding the time and prioritizing.

As leaders in our community and in the physical activity field, we need to be sensitive to both. The bottom line to individual, time is a barrier and we can help them address is.

One way that may help is by encouraging and promoting some of the new messages that are coming out of the updated Physical Activity Guidelines.

The research behind the PA guidelines has shown that even short bouts of physical activity (10 minutes) can still provide some benefits.

The new physical activity guidelines (for adults) are (and I quote directly from the Fact Sheets provided by CSEP)

" Adults should get at least 150 minutes/week of moderate intensity physical activity (such as brisk walking, swimming or raking leaves). This can be achieved in a variety of ways, for example 30 minutes 5 days a week. Activity can be broken into smaller bouts at least 10 minutes long. If activity is vigorous (such as jogging, hockey or aerobics), health benefits can be achieved with 90 minutes/week. In general, the more time spent being active and the more intense the activity, the better. are 150 minutes of moderate physical activity a day… which can be broken down to 30 minutes 5 days a week."

Even though the benefits are not as great, I think the message that physical activity can be done in shorter bouts is an important one to share.

In some ways it makes the guidelines seem more realistic and achievable. Aiming to fit 3, 10 minute sessions of physical activity throughout the day may seem more possible than a longer 30 minute session.

It may also help boost a person’s confidence in doing at least some amount of physical activity. Especially to those who are sedentary, and may not be able to tolerate long sessions of activity.

However (and this is the exercise physiologist in me speaking out) … we do still need to be careful with this message and how we explain it to the people we are trying to reach. The time, whether it is 10 minutes, 15, 20 or 30 plus, when we are active needs to be meaningful. It needs to be at a moderate intensity.

A 10 minute light stroll is very different from 10 minutes walking a quicker pace. The time when people are active they do need to be increasing their heart rate. This needs to happen so those benefits can actually be enjoyed.

Now.. go.. take a 10 minute walk!