THE importance of exercise has long been known and advocated by health professionals, but the extent to which it can be a “miracle cure” is being reinforced in new official activity guidelines.
The guidance is new?
It’s updated. In 2011, the UK was among the first country in the world to set out exercise guidelines and this is the latest version, based on up-to-date scientific research. The next report will be in 2029.
Who is it compiled by?
The UK’s Chief Medical Officers - England’s Professor Dame Sally Davies; Wales's Dr Frank Atherton; Northern Ireland's Dr Michael McBride and Scotland's Dr Catherine Calderwood.
They say that the “evidence has become more compelling and the message is clear - if physical activity were a drug, we would refer to it as a miracle cure, due to the great many illnesses it can prevent and help treat”.
So what exactly is the advice?
An overall reminder that regular exercise can have a "protective effect" on coronary heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes, mental health problems and social isolation. It's broken down into different age groups, but adults aged 19 to 64 are told to aim to be physically active every day, with the top tip that "Any activity is better than none, and more is better still".
Anything specific advised?
Adults are advised to undertake activities to develop or maintain strength in the major muscle groups - which could include heavy gardening, carrying heavy shopping, or resistance exercise; as well as around 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity - such as brisk walking or cycling - or 75 minutes of a vigorous intensity activity, such as running.
What about other age groups?
Older adults - over-65 - are advised to work on trying to improve or maintain muscle strength, balance and flexibility on at least two days a week - perhaps mixing sporting activities, such as Tai Chi, dance and aqua-aerobics.
Infants are included?
Under-5s have various guidelines, with parents of infants not yet crawling advised to give them 30 minutes of tummy time a day, while 180 minutes of active play a day is recommended for toddlers.
There’s new advice for mothers and mothers-to-be?
Pregnant women should aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise weekly, although the advice is "don't bump the bump". Muscle strengthening activities are recommended twice weekly, while new mums are advised to build up to the 150 minutes and muscle strengthening - as well as starting daily pelvic floor exercises as soon as possible.
Even small changes will make a difference?
The CMOs state: “Our environment can make it difficult to be healthy and our health is being damaged by inactivity. But the good news is that even small changes can make a big difference over time, such as using the stairs for a couple of floors rather than taking the lift or getting off the bus a stop early and walking the rest of the way.”
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel