A booklet on physical activity, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in November 2018, contains new data suggesting that physical activity accumulated in bouts of less than ten minutes at a time is associated with improved health.
The guidelines still urge all adults to engage in 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity (or 150 minutes of moderate physical activity) weekly, plus muscle-building activities such as weight lifting or yoga twice a week.
A report from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Center for Health Statistics indicates that only about 23% of adults between 18 and 64 years of age are meeting the government’s gold standard for aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.
Exercise from everyday activities counts
Studies show that non-eating/sleeping/vigorous exercise type of activities (termed NEAT for non-exercise activity thermogenesis) increase our metabolic rate substantially and impact our health outcomes. How? They are associated with lower body weight, better overall health and increased life span. Toting groceries, bird-watching and making household repairs gets us up and moving. You can burn more than 100 calories an hour by:
- Cleaning out the garage.
- Doing the laundry.
- Pruning the shrubs.
- Walking around while talking on the phone.
This safety share, courtesy of Diane Rodi (WSH) provides additional tips. Please print this information and use it to help kick off a team discussion at your next meeting with colleagues and/or staff.
All employees are encouraged to submit safety shares for inclusion in the Safety Share Library, available on Box. Submission details are available on Inside Argonne.
Each month a safety share submitted by an individual will be selected to receive a Spot Award for demonstrated safety leadership. The Spot Award program offers three award levels: gold ($100), silver ($50) and bronze ($25).