Do you know the UK’s national guidelines on the amount and type of physical activity we should all be aiming to achieve?
As fitness professionals we should be able to recount these verbatim – they tell us what we should be targeting with our clients and participants, and what advice and support we could possibly provide them with.
I have increasingly found that this information is lacking, supplanted instead by guidelines specific to aerobic or resistance exercise, for example, and an over-abundance of (and some might say, over-reliance on) different training systems. Don’t get me wrong, I love these specific exercise guidelines and think they are excellent, especially for those people who have the capacity, time, resources and inclination to frequent a gym or exercise classes on a regular basis, or wealthy enough to hire a personal trainer, but what about the vast majority of the population who aren’t able to do this; these exercise guidelines do not necessarily translate into anything that is readily workable or relevant for them. How can we engage these people to increase physical activity levels? These national guidelines make some suggestions on how to do this, and studying them can only make you an even better fitness professional than you already are (and possibly open up a new market or two for your services). They are worded in a way that is easy to understand by everyone – not a mention of HRR or RM anywhere!
If you follow the link below you can access these national guidelines. One important message espoused in these guidelines is that physical activity isn’t just for the young and healthy, it is for everyone and a lifecourse approach needs to be adopted.
If you cannot confidently answer the following questions, I would seriously recommend studying this excellent report for your own professional development:
1. Can you explain the difference between physical activity and exercise?
2. How might a person incorporate more physical activity into their day-to-day life?
3. Can you describe what a person might experience when doing a moderate-intensity activity?
4. Likewise, what may a person experience when doing a vigorous-intensity activity?
5. How much physical activity should a person do each week?
6. How will this differ during different stages of life?
The fitness professionals I have met over the years are great and doing sterling work increasing the fitness of those they work with. By embracing these UK physical activity guidelines you may be able to contribute to addressing some of the health inequalities and increase activity levels for all ages and all demographics (and maybe make some extra money too!)
Department of Health (2011) Start Active, Stay Active.
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/start-active-stay-active-a-report-on-physical-activity-from-the-four-home-countries-chief-medical-officers
