Well what does the term physical activity mean? Physical activity is any bodily movement produced by the skeletal muscles which causes energy expenditure greater than at rest and which is health enhancing.
This definition is deliberately broad to incorporate all types of physical activity that can benefit health. This includes walking or cycling, dance, gardening, housework, individual or team based sport, and for children, active play.
In Ireland, almost 2 out of 3 adults (64.8%) engage in recreational walking.
4 out of 10 (43.9%) walk for transport compared with 1 in 10 (10.2%) who cycle for transport.
4 out of 10 (40%) people engage in individual focused sports compared with less than 1 in 10 (9.1) who engage in team focused sports.
Adults need to be active for at least 30 minutes a day at a moderate level of intensity, for 5 days a week, in order to meet the national guidelines for health enhancing physical activity. All bouts of moderate level activity that last for at least 10 minutes can count towards meeting this.
Children should take part in at least 60 minutes of active play throughout the day for their health and wellbeing. Active play includes games such as hopscotch, tag, hide-and-seek, skipping, jumping rope and ball games.
Only 1 in 3 Irish adults are sufficiently active on a regular basis to gain health benefits, although 2 out of 3 think they are sufficiently active. There is extensive evidence to show that being more active, more often can enhance your health and wellbeing, improve quality of life and help you live longer by reducing the risk of: heart disease, depression, dementia, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, and colon cancer.
What about sedentary behaviour?
Sedentary behaviour refers to any waking activity that is characterised by an energy expenditure of ≤1.5 metabolic equivalents and a sitting or reclining posture. Common sedentary behaviours include TV viewing, video game playing, computer use, driving and reading.
Just over 1 in 4 adults in Ireland spend 8 hours or more a day sitting. On average, Irish adults spend 6.5 hours a day sitting. People who watched the most TV in a 8.5-year study had a 61% greater risk of dying than those who watched less than 1 hour per day. The evidence is that even if you exercise regularly, sitting for 6 hours or more a day increases your risk of death by 40% compared with someone who sits for less than 3 hours a day. A high level of moderate intensity physical activity limits the increased risk of death associated with sitting for long periods of time.
Health benefits of physical activity
There is significant evidence that physical activity of moderate intensity promotes physical and mental health and wellbeing, prevents disease and improves quality of life. These benefits apply to all people irrespective of gender, ethnic background, ability, disability, weight, or age.
Wider health benefits of regular physical activity
There are a number of wider health benefits of regular physical activity including healthy aging, establishing social connections, and the enhancement of wellbeing in the workplace.
Physical activity and weight
Regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Even if an individual does not lose weight they will gain health benefits from being more active. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight they may need to change their diet as well as increase activity. To avoid gaining weight, they need to be more active than the guidelines recommend - approximately 60 minutes a day of brisk walking or 30 minutes of jogging. To lose weight, individuals may need to do 60 - 75 minutes of brisk walking a day. If they have a very high BMI (30 or above) or are extremely inactive, they should start with bouts of 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration and intensity until they reach the adult guideline of at least 30 minutes a day.
Some practical tips
Identify regular times in your day when you can be active.
Be active with a friend or in a group.
Choose an activity that you enjoy.
Make your commute to work, school or shops more active.
Start today - it is never too late.
Summary
Regular physical activity is strongly linked with better health and a lower risk of illness and disease.
Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in influencing patients' physical activity habits.
Conversations about physical activity need to be undertaken in a sensitive and non-judgemental way.
4 key messages
Some is better than none.
Start with short bouts of 10 minutes and build up to 30 minutes a day.
The more you do - the more benefits you get.
Walking is free, easy and low risk and you can fit it into your everyday routine.
For more information - see Making Every Contact Count (MECC).
Check out the Get Ireland Active website and your local sports partnerships for more information.
Health benefits of physical activity
There is significant evidence that physical activity of moderate intensity promotes physical and mental health and wellbeing, prevents disease and improves quality of life. These benefits apply to all people irrespective of gender, ethnic background, ability, disability, weight, or age.
Wider health benefits of regular physical activity
There are a number of wider health benefits of regular physical activity including healthy aging, establishing social connections, and the enhancement of wellbeing in the workplace.
Physical activity and weight
Regular physical activity can help to maintain a healthy weight or lose weight. Even if an individual does not lose weight they will gain health benefits from being more active. To achieve and maintain a healthy weight they may need to change their diet as well as increase activity. To avoid gaining weight, they need to be more active than the guidelines recommend - approximately 60 minutes a day of brisk walking or 30 minutes of jogging. To lose weight, individuals may need to do 60 - 75 minutes of brisk walking a day. If they have a very high BMI (30 or above) or are extremely inactive, they should start with bouts of 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration and intensity until they reach the adult guideline of at least 30 minutes a day.
Some practical tips
Identify regular times in your day when you can be active.
Be active with a friend or in a group.
Choose an activity that you enjoy.
Make your commute to work, school or shops more active.
Start today - it is never too late.
Summary
Regular physical activity is strongly linked with better health and a lower risk of illness and disease.
Healthcare professionals have an important role to play in influencing patients' physical activity habits.
Conversations about physical activity need to be undertaken in a sensitive and non-judgemental way.
4 key messages
Some is better than none.
Start with short bouts of 10 minutes and build up to 30 minutes a day.
The more you do - the more benefits you get.
Walking is free, easy and low risk and you can fit it into your everyday routine.
For more information - see Making Every Contact Count (MECC).
Check out the Get Ireland Active website and your local sports partnerships for more information.
