Scope of the problem
According to statistics, almost one in four adults in the world do not move enough. As a rule, women are less active than men. In addition, hypodynamia rates increase with age, i.e. older people move much less than younger people. Among children and adolescents, the situation is even worse: more than 80% of schoolchildren suffer from hypodynamia.
Experts have found that the higher a country’s gross domestic product, the lower its overall level of physical activity. This is due to a sedentary lifestyle at work, the availability of household appliances that facilitate housework, the lack of the need to personally grow vegetables, raise poultry and livestock. So hypodynamia fully belongs to the problems of civilization.
WHO recommendations
According to WHO experts, children aged 5 to 17 years should spend at least 60 minutes a day in moderate to vigorous physical activity. Preferably, this should be mainly aerobic activity, such as running, swimming, cycling, skating, dancing, and moving games (soccer, basketball, tennis, etc.). All of these will help strengthen your bones, muscles and joints, develop your heart and lungs, improve your coordination and maintain a healthy body weight.
Physical activity also contributes to the social development of adolescents: it gives them opportunities for self-expression, increases self-confidence, and teaches them how to interact with their peers. It has also been shown that young people who are active are less likely to use tobacco, alcohol and drugs and to perform better in school.
Adults aged 18-64 years should spend at least 150 minutes per week in moderate-intensity physical activity (or 75 minutes per week in high-intensity physical activity). For additional health benefits, exercise time can be increased to 300 minutes (150 minutes) per week. It is important to do strength exercises involving the major muscle groups at least twice a week or more often. Older people over the age of 65 should move as much as adults, but instead of weight-bearing exercises, they should do exercises to improve balance and coordination. This will help significantly reduce the risk of falls and serious injuries, such as a fractured femoral neck. Of course, if their health does not permit, older people should reduce the load to suit their physical capabilities.
Washing windows is also physical activity
It is worth noting that by physical activity, WHO experts mean any kind of movement. Therefore, you do not need to spend all your free time in a swimming pool or gym to reach the recommended levels of activity. Activity during work, rest, doing household chores, traveling, walking, and traveling counts. For example, you can walk to work five times a week, and if you walk for about half an hour, you have already met the minimum recommended by WHO. Add to this daily housework (for example, washing windows or floors can be considered high-intensity activity), cycling with your child on the weekend, playing soccer, working in the garden or simply walking up the stairs.
All of these will provide you with a sufficient level of physical activity that can be supplemented with small 10-minute bursts of specialized exercise just 2-3 times a week.
