To meet Canada’s physical activity guidelines, you need to do at least 150 minutes weekly of something called M.V.P.A (Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity).
Why is this important?
Exercise reduces heart disease and cancer to improve mental health which improves the quality of our lives! We often get asked what is the best exercise? Our number one answer is definitely the one you’ll do, but our second answer is when possible do an exercise that requires more effort. The higher the intensity, the healthier the results.
Research has shown that higher intensity activities are more effective than lower-intensity activities at improving our health, especially when it comes to the important stuff, like reducing your risk for heart disease.
But what is ‘intensity’?
Intensity can be thought of as how hard a person works to do a specific activity. It’s important to remember that no two people are the same, so, the intensity of different forms of physical activity varies between people. It can also depend on someone’s previous exercise experience.
If you’re not active, any amount of physical activities, provide some health benefits. So, it’s best to start with smaller amounts of activity and gradually increase duration, frequency, and intensity.
How do we measure intensity?
We use something called a M.E.T. (metabolic equivalent). So at the high end, running might be an 8, while jogging is a 5 and at the bottom would be resting or watching TV, which would be anything less than 1.5.
Modern intensity physical activity, which measures 3 to 6 M.E.T’s requires effort and noticeably accelerates your heart rate. So for example, walking could range from 2.3 to 3.6 M.E.T.s while yard work could be a 6.
Vigorous-intensity physical activity, which measures more than 6 M.E.T.s requires a large amount of effort and causes a substantial increase in your heart rate.
If we look at the research done on athletes, for example, cycling really hard for 30 to 60 seconds and then relaxing for the same amount of time and then repeating (interval training) has been shown to improve performance in a shorter amount of time.
The same can be true for the average person, incorporating short periods of increased intensity into your routine can improve your fitness and decrease your risk of a long list of health complications.
To sum it up, if an activity doesn’t cause changes in your breathing patterns or make you sweat, then you’re probably getting a low-intensity workout. If you can hold a conversation, but still feel out of breath, you’re probably in the moderate range. If you can’t talk to your neighbor or sing out loud, you’re probably in the vigorous range.
If you can do moderate to vigorous activity, at least 150 minutes per week, you’re meeting the target! So go for a brisk walk, grab a dance partner, a garden hose, or even a vacuum cleaner and get ready and go!