Dairy Goodness

Staying Active

Get out, get active!

The National Guidelines on Physical Activity for Ireland recommend that adults take part in at least 30 minutes of moderate intensity exercise a day, five days a week (or 150 minutes a week). Reassuringly, if time to exercise is an issue, shorter 10-minute bouts of activity can contribute towards the guidelines. If weight management is your goal, these guidelines need to be modified*.

Children and young people (aged 2-18 years) should be active for at least 60 minutes every day (at a moderate to vigorous level), and should include muscle-strengthening, flexibility and bone strengthening exercises three times per week.

Moderate Activity: Breathing and heart rate increases, but conversation can still be easily carried out. Participants feel warm and sweat slightly. Examples include: cycling, brisk walking, hiking, roller-blading.

Vigorous Activity: Breathing is heavy and it is difficult to carry out conversation. Heart rate and sweat rates are faster. Examples include: basketball, certain dance styles, football, running, hurling.

Strong evidence suggests that regular exercise:

• Helps maintain a healthy body composition.
• Helps improve heart, lung and muscle strength.
• Improves overall fitness and helps reduce symptoms of depression.
• Helps improve bone strength. (Regular participation in weight-bearing activities - any activity which puts the full weight of your body on your feet and legs - is important for bone health. Examples of such activities include walking, running, dancing and most team sports).

Why not enjoy a brisk walk in the evening or a light jog - you could even join a local sports club, or a fitness class?

Remember, if inactive, start off slowly, and gradually build up your duration and intensity of exercise. If you have any concerns or would like individual advice, visit your GP.

*Visit www.getirelandactive.ie for further information.