Picking on weight loss challenges

In our field we often hear about physical activity challenges/competitions as a tool to get people's attention and to help provide some initial (external) motivation.

For example, I hear of workplaces hosting their own Biggest Loser, or running a pedometer step challenge. Here in Edmonton there is the Edmonton Journal and YMCA At Home Health Club Challenge. Nationally there is the CBC Live Right Now.

Often communities, workplaces, recreation facilities may offer similar challenges. The goal, is often to offer a competitive environment in hopes of inspiring people to take action, whether it is to eat healthier, be more active… or lose weight. We must remember that these challenges offer external motivation (read my earlier blog on motivation).

Challenges have their place for sure. However, many use the focus of weight loss as the main goal. This has many concerns for me, which I thought might be good to discuss.

Physical activity promoted as the major tool for weight loss. In some challenges physical activity is promoted as the main method for successful weight loss.

We must remember nutrition, eating habits and overall lifestyle changes (such sedentary behaviours) play a VERY large role.

As professionals in the field, we must remember losing weight is a complex issue and involves many different behaviour and lifestyle changes.

• So why are picking something so difficult for our participants?
• Will participants see long term success once the challenge is over?
• Are we supporting the typical yo-yo dieting and weight loss cycling that we know is so unhealthy?

How Physical Activity is Portrayed. Often in these challenges (especially the ones on TV) we see physical activity being portrayed as gruelling and the awful component of the weight loss story. I am not convinced that this is the correct or an effective message we want to send.

I have a few questions about how this messaging may affect people.

• If people are so focused on the weight loss do they miss seeing the other benefits they get from being active?
• Are we installing the fear that physical activity has to be hard and brutal in order to benefit from it?
• Are we encouraging the notion that it is only worthwhile to be active if you are on the ground sweating and moaning afterwords?

Some people may find this type of activity fun. But I suspect most don’t. Most people will likely not work that hard when on their own. So, once the challenge is over, what happens to the physical activity participation? It will likely decline.

Bottom line, physical activity should be fun, appropriate and sustainable for the person even after they complete the challenge.

Focus too much on the numbers. Often the success of weight loss challenges is based on the numbers on the scale or the inches lost with the tape measure.

I wonder if we are not setting people up for failure or disappointment. Yes, there will be the people who see success with changes on the scale. What about those who do not see changes in their numbers, or those who only see change at the beginning? Does that mean their hard work and effort to change their lifestyle should go unrewarded?

Those who promote physical activity know (or at least we should) that the behaviour change needs to happen before we can see significant physiological changes (especially weight loss).

So why not start using the behaviour as a marker for success? Such as:

• Did you increase how often you were active this week? Yes! Success!
• Did you reach Canada’s Physical Activity guidelines this week? Yes! Success!
• Were you able to be consistent doing the same amount of physical activity each week for the last month? Yes! Success!

This can allow people to focus on the doing, rather than the outcome.

Using numbers of course is a form of external motivation, and can help get people started… but should the focus be only on weight loss?

Why not focus on some of the other benefits of being active:

• Are you sleeping better (more hours, better quality)?
• How is your energy during the day?
• Can you walk longer? Faster?
• Are you getting stronger?
• Is your blood pressure lower?

So what about you? What are your thoughts on these kinds of challenges? Have you seen some great challenges? How about some ‘not-so great’ challenges?

I would love to hear your stories.

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!

Try a new approach: Step Away From The TV

Discussions about sedentary behaviour seem to be growing in the physical activity field.

Focusing on sedentary behaviours does make some sense. Obviously, when we are busy being sedentary, we are not being active. So perhaps the sedentary behaviour is one we should tackle.

Some researchers are even looking at the health risks of being too sedentary (Check out this Research Update). Other researchers have even examined interventions which focus on decreasing sedentary time, especially with children and youth.

So what are examples of sedentary behaviour?

• Driving our cars.
• Watching television.
• Playing video games (though there are now some which require some movement)
• Working or playing on the computer (which is what I am doing right now).
• Time at work. More and more jobs are sedentary. Sitting (and in some cases standing) in one place pretty much all day.
• Anything that prevents us from moving.

Many professionals in my field spend time and effort promoting and creating opportunities for physical activity. We often talk about how people can and should fit activity into their lives. Cycle to work! Go for a walk! Play a sport! Take a fitness class! Move more!

It seems simple when we say these things, but in reality it isn’t simple to achieve. Most of Canadians are not physically active to see any benefits.

Well, what if we threw in another approach? What is we spent some time on the actual behaviour we want to get rid of- the sedentary behaviour. Perhaps we could encourage people to find ways to be less sedentary during their day.

The theory of this logic: If people reduced their sedentary time, they will create more time to be active.

So what do I mean by reducing sedentary time?
• Reduce how much TV you watch
• Decrease your leisure time on the computer.
• Find ways to not be sitting all day at work. (Standing meetings, place your garbage can on the opposite side of the room, walk to your colleagues desk instead of sending an email).
• Limit the time we are in the car (i.e. try to walk more from store to store rather than drive to each one)

Perhaps re-framing the physical activity discussion to include examining our sedentary behaviour may in fact help some people to ultimately move more.

Now get away from your computer!

The "fun and geeky" details about physical activity and high blood pressure

Even after all these years in the physical activity field, I am continually fascinated by how amazingly good physical activity is for our body and overall health. So, I feel the need to share my thoughts and energy about this!

For a project that I am currently working on, I have been reading some of the latest research regarding the effects that physical activity has on people with certain chronic diseases. In particular, I have learned quite a bit about hypertension (high blood pressure).

For those who want some basic facts on hypertension, I encourage you to check out the Heart and Stroke Foundation's website.

It is well known that regular physical activity can help to prevent many chronic conditions, such as high blood pressure. Given that "the average adult Canadian" has high blood pressure already, I think it's important for all of us to be talking about the benefits of increased physical activity for this segment of the population.

What have I learned? What news or information should we share with others?

1. You get immediate benefits!
Researches have found that immediately after physical activity (in particular, any aerobic activity) a person's blood pressure decreases for a period of time. The higher the resting blood pressure, the more noticeable the decrease after being active.

So, someone who is in a healthy (resting) blood pressure range may not even notice a drop in their blood pressure after exercise (i.e., if they were measured their blood pressure before and after the physical activity).

For those with high blood pressure, a decrease in blood pressure after being physically active can last anywhere from two to seven hours. The duration of the decrease depends on how long the activity session was, and the intensity level of the session, e.g., at least moderate intensity.

The decrease in blood pressure after being active is a prime example or reason why daily physical activity can be so beneficial for someone with high blood pressure. Just from being active, your arteries will get some relief for a period of time. How fantastic is that!

2. You don't have to work at a hard intensity to see benefits!
I also learned that moderate intensity aerobic activity is best. Vigorous activity does not seem to be as beneficial as moderate intensity, in regards to achieving a decrease in blood pressure. (Of course, depending on the person, vigorous activity certainly has numerous benefits – but that's a topic for another day!)

When it comes to intensity, what this all means is that even just walking at a brisk pace (something a lot people can do), can be enough activity for someone who does have high blood pressure to see some changes with their blood pressure and achieve health benefits.

3. You will still see some benefits in 10 minutes block of physical activity
Also, based on the research; it is recommended that those who have high blood pressure try to be physically active 30 minutes a day. The longer a session is, the more benefits a person can see.

However, the research I read also suggested that if the 30 minutes is broken into three 10-minute blocks throughout the day, people will still see some benefits. Knowing that three 10-minutes sessions can be beneficial can definitely make achieving the 30-minute recommendation more "doable" or manageable for many people.

4. You may actually lower your blood pressure with regular physical activity!
Finally, those with high blood pressure who become active regularly may actually achieve a consistently lower resting blood pressure. In some cases, the decrease will be enough to bring a person back to a healthy range, or enough for the person's physician to take the person off their medication for high blood pressure.

Enough said?!? Thanks for allowing me to unleash my "geeky physiology side”.

For those that are like me and get a kick out of this topic, I have included some good resources below that you can dive into for more "fun stuff" on your own time.

For those who are not so keen on reading reams of research, I hope I gave you enough information and inspiration for you to share these facts and findings with others and perhaps spark some wider appreciation of the sometimes complex benefits of physical activity.

Pescatello, L. S., Franklin, B. A., Fagard, R. Farquhar, W.B. Kelley, G. A. and Ray, C.A., (2004), American College of Sports Medicine Position Stand: Exercise and Hypertension. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Special Communications.

Warburton DER, Katzmarzyk PT, Rhodes RE, Shephard RJ. Evidence-informed physical activity guidelines for Canadian adults. Applied Physiology, Nutrition and Metabolism. 2007;32 (suppl.2E):S16-S68.

Kokkinos, P.F., Gianneloi,A., Manolis,A., & Pittaras, A. (2009) Physical Activity in the Prevention and Management of High Blood Pressure., Hellenic Journal of Cardiology., 50 52-59

Coming Soon!! New Physical Activity Guidelines

For those of you who have not heard, Canada will be getting some new physical activity guidelines- hopefully in the next year. I suspect this development will have many people (like me!) who work in fields related to physical activity literally jumping for joy. The guidelines have needed to be revisited for a number of years. Previous guidelines were released in 2002 (Children and Youth), 1998 (Adult) and 1999 (Older Adult) .

The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology (CSEP) has been leading the charge -hoping to update the guidelines based on current research. They have been reviewing the current guidelines and analyzing current research to determine what the new recommendations should be. They have done a fantastic amount of work.

In May 2010 they released their recommendations for updating Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines. You can see their news release, fact sheet and a plethora of academic articles on the CSEP website: http://www.csep.ca/english/View.asp?x=587

I suggest you take the time to read the fact sheet. It is nicely layed out and directly compares the new recommendations to the current guidelines. This allows you to see the changes made. I was very happy to see that the age ranges were expanded upon. (I still wonder how was that, before now, the Guidelines did not specifically address teenagers aged 15-19 have had no physical activity guidelines??!!).

One interesting difference can be found in their recommendations for children and youth. CSEP's new recommendations suggest at least 60 minutes of moderate-victorious physical activity for children and youth. The current Physical Activity Guidelines for children and youth recommend 90 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity.

This decrease in the amount of time recommended has caused quite a stir and debate. The main argument (that I have heard) for the change from 90 minutes to 60 minutes is that is would make this aspect of the Guidelines consistent with other countries and with the World Health Organization. Interesting, eh?

Will this change affect how we encourage our children and youth to be active?
Hmmmmm...what do you think? What does your experience tell you?

Beside this "hot button" issue, there is still much work that has to happen before the new physical activity guidelines are released. The Public Health Agency of Canada and CSEP will hopefully be formulating appropriate messaging, dissemination and other supporting resources. (Personally, I will not be sad to see the cartoons images go).

Currently PHAC has an online consultation available. This is an opportunity for anyone who is interested in how the physical activity guidelines are developed, to have their say. Even folks who may not be well-versed in the field should have a chance to say their piece.

So, whatever your interest or experience, I definitely suggest you take the time to complete the survey. This is the time to speak up!
http://www.physicalactivityguidelines.ca/home.html

Stay tuned for more developments.

Policy change- ensuring legacy

At the end of September I attended a meeting where organizations who received funding could share their successes. It was an interesting day- and I was able to hear a lot about some of the great work that is happening in our province.

One of the keys things I heard that day came from 3 of the funded projects. Two of these projects involved working with the schools and school district and another project was with the Edmonton Boys and Girls club. The school projects were working towards a comprehensive school health, while the Boys and Girls club was running an after school program that had healthy snacks and physical activity. It was neat to hear about their success and also how they often had similar difficulties. As with all funding projects, the money comes to an end. We often hear that an excellent program disappears once the money is gone, which often leaves us questioning what impact does this kind of funding have.

These groups all discussed the importance of planning for sustainability of the project. From the very beginning of the project they were planning for when the money was coming to an end.

When asked how they worked to ensure sustainability, all three projects discussed the importance of policy being involved.

A good example was with the Boys and Girls club and their Healthy for Life-Cool Moves project. This project ran a program where they encouraged healthy eating, participating in physical activity and empowered the kids to make changes in their life, their families and in their community.

After some initial struggle to get Cool Moves working, the Boys and Girls club decided that in order for this program to be successful organizational policies needed to change. They decided that healthy food and regular physical activity should be a PART of ALL their programs events and activities (regardless of funding). This became part of the policy of the club.

They also decided that how staff was trained needed to change. Now, all staff (regardless of the program or event they ran) received training regarding healthy food choices and providing physical activity opportunities.

By having these changes occur at the policy level- providing healthy food and physical activity became the norm- no the exception.

Now, as the funding for the project has drawn to a close, the Cool Moves program is still operating. Yah! Even if this particular program does struggle to live, it has left a legacy with the whole Boys and Girls Club. In its wake it has ensured that all current and future programs will only provide healthy food options and to include physical activity. And that is something to be very proud of.