Get Active!

By Cindy Williams, RN

Coordinator, Health Ministries

“Less than five percent of adults participate in 30 minutes of physical activity each day, only one in three adults in the United States get the recommended amount of physical activity each week. More than 80 percent of adults don’t meet the guidelines for both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities, and more than 80 percent of teenagers don’t get enough aerobic physical activity to meet the guidelines for youth. Only one in three children are physically active every day.”

The CDC recommends that adults get at least 150 minutes each week of moderate intensity aerobic activity plus two days each week of muscle-strengthening activities that work all major muscle groups. Moderate intensity aerobic activities include anything that gets your heart rate up. Brisk walking, bicycle riding, hiking, swimming, and playing sports all count. One hundred and fifty minutes each week may seem like a lot, but it can be broken into small blocks of time, even just ten minutes at a time. Any physical activity is better than nothing and, up to a point, more is better.

The benefits of regular physical activity are many. Some are experienced immediately. These include better sleep, improved thinking, learning, and judgment along with lower levels of anxiety and depression. Other benefits may take longer to realize. Physical activity helps us maintain optimum weight, reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and reduce the risk of some common cancers. It strengthens bones and muscles which is important for maintaining our ability to do normal daily activities and for preventing falls. Exercise also kicks the immune system into gear, improving immunovigilance (readiness for battle) and immune competence (efficiency). Finally, it can help you live longer. People who meet the minimum exercise requirements have a 33 percent lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to people who are physically inactive.

I participated in an online workshop this week. During the workshop I had the opportunity to take part in breakout sessions with folks from around the world. I met people from India, Jamaica, Australia, Chicago, and North Carolina. One of the things we discovered is that all of us struggle in some way with getting enough physical activity. Most of us said it was because we don’t have time — we’re too busy. Hmmm. Maybe we are too busy. But maybe, with God’s grace and help, we can fit everything we need to do in just 23 ½ hours each day. 

References

23 ½ Hours: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo

https://www.hhs.gov/fitness/resource-center/facts-and-statistics/index.html

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm

https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/pa-health/index.htm

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7387807/

This article is part of a continuing series of health during these COVID times. For other articles, please see www.uccsda.org/healthministries.

Photo by Arek Adeoye on Unsplash