Yesterday, Public Health England published its guidance on how to get adults more active. In their report they state the benefit of physical activity – it improves the physical and mental wellbeing of individuals. Then they explain how much activity adults should take part in. They recommend that adults should aim for at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity each week, in bouts of 10 minutes or more.
They describe moderate-intensity activities as anything that causes you to get warmer and breathe harder and gets your heart rate up, such as cycling or a brisk walk.
It is also recommended that adults aim to be active daily. Additionally, adults should include a muscle-strengthening activity on at least two days of the week to prevent loss of muscle mass.
Finally, their guidance stresses the importance of minimising the amount of time spent sitting for extended periods of time. This increases the risk of a number of health conditions.
They suggest the following to reduce the amount of time sitting:
- Reducing the time spent watching TV, using a computer or playing video games
- Reducing the amount of time sitting during work
- Walking part of the way on a long bus or car journey
Research has shown that many of the UK’s minority ethnic groups have lower rates of physical activity participation and do not achieve the recommended levels of physical activity. Therefore it’s very important that the black community takes notice and becomes more active. The Lake Foundation through its cycling club is aiming to get our community more active. Please do join us for a fun way to get some exercise. For more information email events@thelakefoundation.com
