Health and physical activity recommendations for adults

Movement is one of our most basic activities, yet we often fail to make it a way of life. Your health needs movement just as surely as your body needs food. While a physiological need—hunger—drives us to eat every day, without a similar hunger for movement, it is easy to forget about the physical activity we need to stay healthy.

Health and daily physical activity

Being active every day, or almost every day, is an effective way to maintain and improve your health and stay in shape. Every adult’s day should include a total of 30 minutes of light physical activity. Those 30 minutes can consist of a variety of activities.

If you are not exactly a fitness fanatic (someone who works out at every spare moment), here are a few ways to get some light physical activity:

 Always take the stairs to the upper floors, even if you live on the ninth floor.
 Take your dog for long walks.
 Grab a snow shovel and clear the area in front of your home.
 Go for a walk in the old town with your partner.
 Let loose on the dance floor at a nightclub: dancing is one of the best ways to relax and get some exercise (as long as you are not getting your energy from alcoholic drinks).

But if you already do all of this, it is time to start exercising specifically for your health:

 Wake up half an hour earlier and do some gentle morning exercises.
 On spring mornings, a jog is a lovely way to enjoy nature as it comes to life.
 If you do not feel like jogging, even 3 kilometers of brisk walking every day will meet your basic need for physical activity.
 Get a group of friends together on Friday evening and go swimming at an aquatic center or skating at an ice rink. Make it a tradition.

And if you already do all of that too, it is time to progress further.
The best approach is to do a variety of activities that develop muscle strength and joint mobility. This means combining strength training with aerobic training.

When training at the gym, it is best to get help from a trainer: if you put together your own training program, you could be waiting indefinitely for results. Aerobics classes, running in the woods, cycling, skiing and skating are all excellent options for aerobic training.
Here is a suggestion for gym-goers who tend to neglect aerobic training (especially men, who are rarely tempted into an aerobics studio), and for anyone who wants to try something new and interesting.

Spinning is a highly effective form of aerobic training performed on specially designed indoor bikes. It delivers an effective training load and is an enjoyably engaging way to exercise: the minutes and extra calories slip away without you even noticing. Classes are led by an instructor and set to music. You can adjust the bike’s resistance to suit your preferences and the instructor’s guidance, giving you control over your training load.
Different types of spinning classes:
Fatburn – a class focused on maintaining a steady, low training load and developing aerobic endurance at a moderate heart rate. This class is well suited to anyone who enjoys road cycling or wants to lose weight effectively.

Interval – a class with a varying training load, alternating hard efforts with stretches of cycling at a low training load. You need a good level of fitness to take part, but beginner “cyclists” can also manage as long as they keep their training load from getting too high.

BodySpinn – a spinning class with a moderate training load, combined with upper-body muscle exercises (push-ups) and, where needed, equipment such as a barbell, dumbbells, cuff weights or similar aids.

Circuit training is gaining popularity as a new trend in Estonia.
Circuit – circuit training at its best! A variety of exercises performed to music allow you to work all the major muscle groups and develop aerobic endurance. The workout uses intervals, alternating more controlled strength exercises (with dumbbells, exercise balls and barbells) with efforts that raise your heart rate (using a spinning bike, step platform, jump rope and similar equipment). The workout takes its name from the exercise stations arranged in a circle around the studio, with each “stop” lasting one minute. You complete the circuit three times during one workout. Circuit is suitable for anyone who wants to take part, both for men and for women, because you can adjust the training load of the exercises yourself. The class is especially suitable if you rarely make it to the gym and want to get the maximum benefit from a single workout. It is an effective class that offers an excellent degree of individual flexibility for a group workout. Give it a try—you will not regret it!

Compiled by: Liis Arula – based on Physical activity and medicine and the Fittest Klubi website.

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