NHS Exercise advice

[Ryeman]

I’ve always been fairly fit and into sport. In the last couple of years I’ve started a pretty intense exercise class and a few months ago upped it from once to twice a week. I also play a sport 1-2 times a week. I feel like this is probably more than ‘most’ people do. But some weeks I’m only just reaching the recommended NHS amount of exercise: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults-aged-19-to-64/
I don’t really know what my AIBU is here but it seems like the recommended amount is fairly unachievable for a lot of people - in fact I’m pretty sure a large proportion of adults do approximately zero intense exercise. It’s so important for our health as we age, particularly bone health for women, balance and strength. As well as mental health benefits. Should there be more help and encouragement for people to be physically fitter vs just being in the ideal weight range?

Hmmm interesting! I think any dog owner should be meeting the 150min mark for walking across the week (in a working week mine has an HR a day). However I am definitely lacking in the strength exercise dept so found this helpful.Thanks!

I spent the past twenty years doing high intensity exercise - fell running, spin classes, mountain biking. Now my hips are absolutely destroyed, apparently from overuse. So now I just do gentle exercise as it's all I can do. I swim, do a few light weights and walk about 8 miles a day to and from work.

I think moving gently and often is actually better for us than killing ourselves with high intensity stuff, especially in the long term. Yes, I'm not as fit as I was but if I hadn't done all that in my 20s and 30s perhaps I wouldn't be living with chronic pain as I am now.

As a former martial artist my big gripe is a lot of high intensity cardio sports do not emphasise the importance of strengthening and stretching.

At my kickboxing club we used to do 15 - 20 mins of stretching and strength work before we even started training.

75 mins 'intense' exercise... Three 30 min runs a week would cover that. The bigger issue is people spending all day sat at a desk, driving home and spending all evening sat in front of the TV.

It's perfectly achievable, most people are just unwilling. A 30 minute brisk walk 5 days a week (perhaps on a lunch break?) will get you there. It's about habits, and lots of people are accustomed to sedentary lifestyles. I don't drive, so I achieve 150 mins most days probably (unless the toddler walks). But my lifestyle allows that, I imagine it's harder if you have more demands on your time.
I personally think more emphasis should be put on strength training than cardio, I read somewhere that 4 minutes of squats is as good as 30 mins jogging (or something like that). It's dead easy to pick up a kettlebell and bang out some quick exercises.

I'm about 6 -8 minutes from school, so even working from home I get 18-24 minutes of brisk walking (not counting the walk home with kids but the walk to school is definitely brisk...) so that's 5 days a week before any other errands done on foot, chores or other exercise. My biggest problem is that I can't visit the kitchen without raiding the cupboards, not the amount of exercise I get...

It's easy to do if (able bodied) people use their legs from a young age and never stop.
Loads of people my office block drive to work (some are walking distance), get the lift up (they have legs and stairs), eat lunch in the kitchen (go for a walk maybe?) and drive home to watch TV.

Once the weight goes on it makes everything else harder, too hard to jog and harder to go to even an easy gym class. I'm lucky that I tend toward depression and have IBS so I have to keep moving even though I don't really enjoy it.

I live in a rural area and a car is needed to get everywhere. School runs are a 25 min drive, nearest shop is a 10 min drive. I work from home and before I started to specifically plan activity I was only getting around 3000 steps a day.

I now make sure I walk 8000 steps and do 5 30 min strength training sessions a week from home but with 2 children (one with sen) and a sedentary job it is hard fitting it in and often means putting children in front of the TV whilst I exercise. I always feel guilty for exercising but as I have got older feel the need to put my health first.

I think there's many psychosocial reasons so many of us don't hit the exercise guidelines, not even counting those who are disabled or live with long term health conditions. It's really not as simple as 'laziness' or overuse of cars and screens.

Also everyone should be able to run 5k. That should be a minimum fitness level. Excluding over 75s perhaps and those with a disability.

I never go by what the NHS says. Most of it is outdated

We have a health crisis caused by poor diet and lack of exercise. Yet many people are blind to their own failure to help their health

I am very overweight, I walk my dogs 2x times a day thats an hour, plus I do 1 x hour of swimming per week (continuous lengths), an hour of aqua HIT and boxing and if I can get it in an hour of clubbercize.

I think I just about hit the guidelines!

The only part of the NHS guidelines that looks potentially slightly challenging to me is :

• do strengthening activities that work all the major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms) on at least 2 days a week

you could achieve that with a Yoga vinyasa flow class. Or go on YouTube and running one of the thousands of the free yoga classes, in the convenience of your own home. It is a really holistic practice, and importantly includes body and mind which is so important for overall health.

I don't like structured activity or gyms. I try to go for a walk every day - I much prefer uneven ground to a pavement because I feel it's much better exercise and also much kinder on the joints to not be on concrete. I agree that time is a factor. 20 minutes is about a mile.

I've just started trying some weight bearing exercise with a kettlebell and find 10-15 minutes while watching TV on a night works well. It's been a bit of trial and error. I found a few routines on YouTube and followed those until I was able to just make it up as I go along.

There was a good podcast about exercise/ movement and longevity with Vonda Wright on diary of a CEO and she recommended adding two 30s sprints into a walk. I think this was really good advice as for a little bit of effort it gets my heart rate up for a good few minutes after when I return to walking.

Having a fit bit really helps and gives me the incentive to get up off the sofa and pick the kettlebell up if I can see I haven't naturally got many steps in that day.

Although there's bound to be an element of personal responsibility to diet and exercise, we really must focus on the structural reasons for health crisis. It seems unlikely to me that whole generations of people are fatter and less fit because we all just became lazier and less disciplined as a species.

75 minutes a week is achievable for the majority if you include housework, gardening, active travel etc. There are a small number of people whose difficulties are so severe that it's not.

Nb the health benefits kick in with a tiny amount of activity. It's not necessarily getting you fit and strong in the sense of being able to participate in sport, but the evidence is that even a small amount of activity improves health outcomes.

Housework and gardening are very unlikely to be "vigorous activity". Perhaps I hoover wrong, but I barely consider it "moderate activity".

I hate the NHS bmi calculator it really doesn't take a lot of things into account everyone's build is different as well I'm not slim never was at my lowest weight.

I also lift weights and go off how my clothes feel and how I feel in regards to whether I'm getting overly plump also since having children my body shape as changed I've got the mum pouch from a c section and split stomach muscles so that's where I look my biggest when my clothes are off.

Rest of me I would say is average not fat not super skinny and the NHS thing thinks I should be 8st i would be really ill and while I understand someone are naturally skinny it's not something I would like to see my spine and ribs no thanks.

They can be if you make them it tbh.
Some of my gardening certainly is not probably even moderate - some weeding, but digging and turning soil over certainly is not leasurly. Though the weeding can be more active by having week bucket meter and half away

I put my all into hoovering while channeling shakira in my headphones 😂

You can meet these by just walking, if you are able... using the stairs rather than the lift if you are able. lots of local authorities now offer reduced or free memberships to gyms which can be taken 'on prescription' from your GP and also lots of local slimming groups like SW and WW are available free too.

The guidelines are just that.. a guide, its not a law and not everyone can do the level of exercise you do! well done on keeping yourself fit and healthy and long may it rein for you.

Sometimes, life throws you a curve ball, i myself 3 years ago was a triathlete, i would exercise for hours a day, miles and miles running, cycling and swimming combined with cardio sessions and weights in the gym... until one day i couldn't!

No one should be beaten up because they are not hitting that recommended 150 mins a week.. we don't know what is happening in peoples lives..

Do what you feel able..

People need to realise that they are equally as important as their kids and carve out time for themselves without feeling guilty.

If your children grow up seeing you make time for your health and being active you are setting such a good example. It normalises activity and it’s all the ever know so they do the same.

If guidelines said the kids had to do X or Y for 20 mins a day most people would fit it in without question, so why is mums health less important.

when mine were small I was a single parent so Jillian Micheals became my best friend. 20 mins a day is not a lot, as I got better I would do two back to back, now mine can be left as teens I go to the gym, do classes and walk the dog etc and it’s just normal.

Are we reading the same
page?

It’s five half hour walks and a couple of strength sessions.

I work long hours, shift work, stressful job, family responsibilities - yeah still do this. It’s really not a lot?

There are people who work long hours, are carers, have two jobs. I’m not saying exercise isn’t important but with a little bit of imagination it’s easy to see how it can fall of people’s to do list.

There are 168 hours a week
Average primary teacher works 60
8 hours sleep a night 96
1 hour a day with their children 7

Then you’re left with 5 hours. I haven’t covered looking after their children at the weekend, socialising, cleaning, seeing elderly relatives, food shopping, cooking or even personal hygiene.

I also agree gentle exercise is better in the long run. I was super fit and probably over exercised at times for my whole life. Now at 50, I have chronic lower back and hip pain. I now only walk and swim daily. I occasionally go to the gym, but then only do gentle (for me) cardio stuff. The fittest old people I know have never been to the gym, but have always been outdoorsy and walked a lot.
As for BMI. Mine is 25 and I am a size 8 and lol really slim. I once got my BMI down to 23 and I looked ill.