The Physical Activity Guidelines
An overview and reminder of the baselines
Why is this important?
If you don’t know what you are aiming for, its hard to hit anything. We have used the guidelines from three organisations as a simple overview.
This is an awareness exercise.
Because we found in our conversations that beyond a vague idea that 10,000 steps were the recommended per day (in most instances it’s the minimum), most users did not know what the full recommendations were. Walking 10,000 steps is an amazing start. But there is more.
We love this quote. It says a lot.
“Physical activity; even if you don’t lose an ounce, you’ll live longer, feel healthier, be less likely to get cancer, heart disease, stroke, and arthritis. It’s the closest thing we have to a wonder drug“ Centre for Disease Control and Prevention
The Guidelines for Physical Activity are almost identical for:
- The National Health Service (NHS),
- The American Heart Association (AHA) and
- Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
However, since 2018, the CDC has revised its guidance to include all-day activity as a recommendation on top of the standard guidelines.
The NHS has followed the all-day movement guidelines and so have the AHA.
In terms of your Million Steps Challenge, there are three critical areas:
- Daily step count
- Brisk walking for moderate/vigorous-intensity physical activity (Active Minutes)
- All-day movement (Your hourly steps if you can get them in)
Beyond the Million Steps Challenge and walking, all the guidelines recommend muscle-strengthening activities.
Important Note: Many of the recommendations are minimum/at least
- UK Chief Medical Officers’ Physical Activity Guidelines
- Physical activity guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers’ report
- Infographics for separate groups can be found here
2. Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
- Full report Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans 2nd Edition 2018
- Overview of 2nd Edition 2018 and Executive Summary
- Key messages: Top 10 Things to Know.
3. American Heart Foundation Physical Activity Guidelines
“Are you fitting in at least 150 minutes (2.5 hours) of heart-pumping physical activity per week? If not, you’re not alone. Only about one in five adults and teens get enough exercise to maintain good health. Being more active can help all people think, feel and sleep better and perform daily tasks more easily. And if you’re sedentary, sitting less is a great place to start”
- For an overview: Physical Activity in Adults and Kids (Note: This is a highly recommended page with a good list of resources)
