A call to action: be more physically active!
During this time of stay-at-home orders and physical distancing related to COVID-19, it’s increasingly obvious that we need to plan, schedule and participate in more exercise activity than the 150 mins/week currently endorsed by international organizations. Specifically, the frequency, duration and distances related to walking activities and physical movement — typical components of working, shopping, and recreation – has suddenly declined. This translates to a significant drop in the number of steps we take per day. Studies that quantify this occurrence will likely soon emerge. Therefore, an increase in activity is needed, possibly by 33% to 200 minutes of moderate intensity exercise per week, to offset the large reductions in daily ‘incidental’ movements that many people are experiencing — and as suggested by other academics.
There are so many benefits to exercise including boosting the immune system and protecting against disease, particularly in people at high risk of the worst effects of COVID-19. A daily walk, as shown in the Simpli Move Health Challenge 4 will help increase activity levels, as will our new Challenge 6 detailed below.
Challenge 6 involves small bursts of activity every hour for 8 to 10 consecutive hours. To assist you, mobile phones, exercise trackers or smartwatches allow programming for hourly reminders. The goal is to get your muscles moving and heart pumping faster every hour. Images of these exercises are featured in either Challenge 1, Challenge 2 or Challenge 5.
Try this new challenge as an addition to other scheduled exercise such as regular walking, running or one of the other Simpli Move Health challenges.
To make this more challenging: perform 20 jumping jacks or star jumps followed by two types of exercise each hour (the exercise for that hour plus the exercise you did the hour before).
Keep yourself accountable?
- Buddy up with a friend and text your friend when you have completed your exercises without breaking the seven-day streak! Send them an “accomplishment emoji” Day 1 ?; Day 2 ?….
- Join us in our dedicated Facebook group.Let us know how you are going toward completing Simpli Move Health 7-Day Exercise Challenge 6.