Strength and Flex - Health Guidelines

reposted from: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/strength-and-flexibility/Pages/strength-flexibility-podcasts.aspx

crabsallover highlights, key points, comments / links.

Fancy a personal trainer but can't afford one? Download our Strength and Flex podcasts and get your fitness coach for free.

Podcast features

• Free to download
• Virtual personal trainer
• Equipment-free
• Easy to follow
• Get fit in five weeks
• Full body workout
• Video clips
• Use anywhere, anytime
• Can be used with Couch to 5K programme

Let our virtual trainer coach you through a series of equipment-free exercises designed to improve your strength and flexibility.

The workout instructions and pace are easy to follow to ensure you perform each exercise correctly and in time.

Strength and Flex consists of five 35- to 45-minute podcasts, which are available as a mobile download for MP3 players, mobile phones, iPod and iPhones.

You can download Strength and Flex from the NHS Choices website or you can download Strength and Flex from iTunes.

You can easily combine these workouts with our popular Couch to 5K running programme, by following the plans on alternate days of the week.

Starting with Strength and Flex podcast 1, your goal is to work your way up to podcast 5 in five weeks. To achieve this, you need to do each podcast at least three times in a week.

By podcast 5, you’ll be doing back, arm and leg stretches along with press-ups and squats with ease. You'll be feeling stronger, more flexible and full of energy to go about your daily life.

You can do these full body workouts anywhere and any time you choose. They can be done indoors or out in the park or garden, on your own or with a friend.

Getting started

1. Download podcasts to your PC or Mac.
2. Transfer files to an MP3 player.
3. Press play and go!

All you need is enough space to walk about freely, a fixed bench, a wall and either some shoulder-height railings or a shoulder-height horizontal bar.

There are Strength and Flex video clips available of all the exercises in this series, so you can check you’re doing each move safely and effectively.

The Strength and flexibility plan will ease you into the habit of regular exercise, which will help you burn calories, lose weight and stay healthy.

Podcast 5 is designed to be used beyond the programme. It provides a regular 45-minute workout to de-stress and feel good.

Your coach for the five-week Strength and flexibility programme is Laura, whose friendly and encouraging voice is one of the reasons behind C25K’s success.

To exercise, wear something that's loose and comfortable in a breathable material, like cotton, and pick shoes that offer support and cushioning.

If you have any health concerns about beginning the Strength and flexibility programme, see your GP and discuss it with them before you start.

• Download the Strength and Flex plan.

Strength and flexibility - Health tools - NHS Choices

source: Strength and flexibility - Health tools - NHS Choices

reposted from:

crabsallover highlights, key points, comments / links.

Strength and flexibility podcasts
Fancy a free personal trainer? Download these free podcasts designed to guide you through a five week plan of exercises to improve your strength and flexibility. By week five, you'll be doing a 40 minute routine of press-ups, squats and stretches.

Physical activity guidelines for adults - Live Well - NHS Choices

source: Physical activity guidelines for adults - Live Well - NHS Choices

How much physical activity do adults aged 19-64 years old need to do to keep healthy?

To stay healthy or to improve health, adults need to do two types of physical activity each week: aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity.

How much physical activity you need to do each week depends on your age. Click on the links below for the recommendations for other age groups:

• early childhood (under 5 years old)
• young people (5-18 years old)
• older adults (65 and over)

Physical activity for adults aged 19-64

To stay healthy, adults aged 19-64 should try to be active daily and should do:

At least 150 minutes (2 hours and 30 minutes) of moderate-intensity aerobic activity such as cycling or fast walking every week, and  

             muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a
             week that work all major muscle groups (legs,
             hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). 

75 minutes (1 hour and 15 minutes) of vigorous-intensity aerobic activity such as running or a game of singles tennis every week, and

             muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a
             week that work all major muscle groups (legs,
             hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms). 

  

An equivalent mix of moderate- and vigorous-intensity aerobic activity every week (for example 2 30-minute runs plus 30 minutes of fast walking), and

muscle-strengthening activities on 2 or more days a week that work all major muscle groups (legs, hips, back, abdomen, chest, shoulders and arms).   

What counts as moderate-intensity aerobic activity?Examples of activities that require moderate effort for most people include:

• walking fast
• water aerobics
• riding a bike on level ground or with few hills
• doubles tennis
• pushing a lawn mower
• hiking
• skateboarding
• rollerblading
• volleyball
• basketball 

5 x 30 minutes

One way to do your recommended 150 minutes of weekly physical activity is to do 30 minutes on 5 days a week.

Moderate-intensity activity will raise your heart rate and make you breathe faster and feel warmer. One way to tell if you're working at a moderate intensity is if you can still talk, but you can't sing the words to a song. 

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What counts as vigorous-intensity aerobic activity?Examples of activities that require vigorous effort for most people include:

• jogging or running
• swimming fast
• riding a bike fast or on hills
• singles tennis
• football
• rugby
• skipping rope
• hockey
• aerobics
• gymnastics
• martial arts 

Vigorous-intensity aerobic activity means you're breathing hard and fast, and your heart rate has gone up quite a bit. If you're working at this level, you won't be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.

In general, 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity activity can give similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity.

For a moderate to vigorous intensity workout, try Couch to 5K, a nine-week running plan for beginners.

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What counts as muscle-strengthening activity? Muscle-strengthening exercises are counted in repetitions and sets. A repetition is 1 complete movement of an activity, like lifting a weight or doing a sit-up. A set is a group of repetitions.

For each activity, try to do 8 to 12 repetitions in each set. Try to do at least 1 set of each muscle-strengthening activity. You'll get even more benefits if you do 2 or 3 sets.

Healthy weight

• Adults who are overweight can improve their health by meeting the activity guidelines, even if they don’t lose weight.
• To lose weight, you are likely to need to do more than 150 minutes a week and make changes to your diet.
• Start by gradually building up towards 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity a week.

To get health benefits from muscle-strengthening activities, you should do them to the point where you struggle to complete another repetition.

There are many ways you can strengthen your muscles, whether it's at home or in the gym. Examples of muscle-strengthening activities for most people include:

• lifting weights
• working with resistance bands
• doing exercises that use your body weight for resistance, such as push-ups and sit-ups
• heavy gardening, such as digging and shovelling
• yoga

Try Strength and Flex, a five-week exercise plan for beginners to improve your strength and flexibility.

You can do activities that strengthen your muscles on the same day or on different days as your aerobic activity, whatever's best for you.

However, muscle-strengthening activities don't count towards your aerobic activity total, so you'll need to do them in addition to your aerobic activity.

Some vigorous-intensity aerobic activities may provide 75 minutes of aerobic activity and sufficient muscle-strengthening activity. Examples include circuit training and sports such as football or rugby.

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• Download a factsheet on physical activity guidelines for adults (19-64 years) (PDF, 568kb)

Page last reviewed: 11/07/2013

Next review due: 11/07/2015