Our sedentary lifestyles are one of the top five contributors to our risk for cardiovascular diseases such as atherosclerosis, heart attack, ischemic stroke etc. (Statistics Canada, 2015). On a global scale, (shockingly) more people die annually from cardiovascular diseases (around 17.5 million) then any other diseases including starvation (World Health Organization, 2016). Regular physical activity can decrease the risk and prevent of cardiovascular disease by improving your body’s ability to metabolize sugar, promotes weight reduction, and reduces blood pressure (Statistics Canada, 2015). So why aren’t we doing it? “ I have no time” is the most common reasons behind Canadian’s lack of physical activity.
What can you do if your main barrier to engaging in physical activity is lack of time? Well, here are a few tips that may help you better manage your time and efforts in engaging in physical activity.
A. Monitor your activity for 1 week. Identify 3 time slots or create time slots in which you are able to give up sedentary activity (i.e. TV watching).
B. Try adding physical activity to your daily routine- How?
Park a few blocks away from your destination
Walk & Talk meetings
Exercise while you watch TV
Invest in a standing desk; follow this link for a standing desk idea: http://oristand.co/product/oristand-stand-up-desk/
C. Pack your bag the night before you plan to hit the gym. Have it ready at the door with everything you need.
Everyone has barriers to becoming physically active. Barriers to physical activity expand beyond a lack of time, they can include lack of social supports, lack of resources, travel etc. Identifying the barriers to becoming active in your life is crucial to implementing and maintaining an exercise routine. Once identified, there are a variety of techniques, tips and tricks that you can implement into your life to help overcome your barriers. The key to gaining the benefits of physical activity is to maintain a physical activity routine long term (Statistics Canada, 2015). Having a trained health and exercise professional help you with the process of overcoming your barriers and ultimately incorporate exercise into your life long term is very beneficial. Here at Turnfit we believe that a trainer’s job expands beyond coaching a one-hour workout session. We assess your life as a whole to help design and implement exercise routine that not only meet your fitness goals but fit into your lifestyle long term, so that ultimately, you will be able to maintain the program long term and become a healthier, happier you.
What are the guidelines you might ask? Click below to find out. http://www.csep.ca/cmfiles/guidelines/csep_guidelines_handbook.pdf
References:
1) Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology. 2011. Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Ottawa, ON, www.csep.ca/guidelines. (accessed October 10, 2014)
2) Statistics Canada. (2015). Directly measured physical activity of adults, 2012 and 2013. Retrieved from http://www.statcan.gc.ca/pub/82-625-x/2015001/article/14135-eng.htm
3) World Health Organization . (2016). New initiative launched to tackle cardiovascular disease, the world’s number one killer. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/cardiovascular_diseases/global-hearts/Global_hearts_initiative/en/
