Switch off, step out and take your first steps to better health
The Public Health Agency (PHA) is encouraging everyone to switch off the telly, pull on your walking shoes and take the first steps to better health, after figures revealed that almost half of adults in Northern Ireland are sitting in front of the TV for more than two hours per day.
Reduced activity, combined with a poor diet, can lead to becoming overweight or obese.
Colette Brolly, the PHA lead on physical activity, explained: “In today’s hectic society, it can be easy to slouch down in front of the TV after a day at work or when the kids have gone to bed, but too much sedentary behaviour can damage our health.
“To break the cycle, try building some simple activities in to your day. Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise. It doesn’t cost you anything and has many health benefits. Walking at a brisk pace can make you feel good, reduce anxiety, help you sleep better, reduce blood pressure and help you manage your weight.
“You don’t need any specialised equipment to get walking, just a comfortable pair of shoes. Walking doesn’t have to be complicated either, just build it in to everyday activities such as walking to the shops or work instead of driving.
“You can enjoy walking together as a family and walk with the children to school which will encourage them from an early age to be active.”
Watching television is one of the main forms of sedentary behaviour, which is when the main mode of posture is sitting or lying down and energy expenditure is low. In the 2012/13 Northern Ireland Health Survey, 45% of respondents said they watch TV for two hours or more on a weekday, with that figure rising to 54% at the weekend.
Colette continued: “Walking in a group can be a good way to get started and it’s also a great way to make friends who can keep you motivated. There are many groups coordinated by your local health and social care trust so contact them to find out times and days that the groups meet.”
Walking for Health group walks are for those who do little or no physical activity but would like to become more active.
The groups are led by trained volunteers and are available throughout Northern Ireland. To find out more about your walking groups in your area visit www.choosetolivebetter.com/content/getting-active
The recommended guidelines on physical activity are that adults should aim to be active every day and achieve at least 150 minutes of moderate physical activity over a week. One way of achieving this is getting 30 minutes of activity at least five times per week.
Being physically active is really important for children. It helps to build strong bones, muscles and a healthy heart and helps develop social skills and encourages a sense of wellbeing. Children over the age of five years need to take part in moderate to vigorous intensity activities for at least 60 minutes and up to several hours every day. Again this can be broken up into small chunks of at least 10 minutes throughout the day – remember it all adds up!
Info from the NI Health Survey 201/13 shows:
Sedentary behaviour occurs when sitting or lying down is the main mode of posture and where energy expenditure is low.
Watching television is one of the main sedentary behaviours. Over two-fifths of respondents aged 19 and over (45%) reported watching television for two hours or more on a weekday, while over half (54%) did so on weekend days.
Around three-quarters of respondents spent at least half of their sedentary time watching television on weekdays (73%) and weekend days (76%).
Respondents in the obese BMI category tended to have more sedentary time than those in the normal weight / underweight BMI category. Almost half of obese respondents (49%) reported being sedentary for more than four hours per day on weekdays which compares with 37% of respondents in the normal weight / underweight category. Similarly on weekend days a higher proportion of obese respondents (61%) than normal weight / underweight (48%) were sedentary for at least four hours.