TALKBACK everyone’s talking about . . .
activity guidelines F
ive a day, check. Thirty minutes’ moderate exercise three times a week, check. But now I have the option of
swapping 150 minutes’ moderate activity for 75 minutes of vigorous activity – and even if I manage that, by sitting at a desk all day I’m negating the effects? Help! The new physical activity guidelines,
coupled with media coverage that only picks out soundbites, could send the population into total confusion about what they should be doing. Worse still, it could make them feel they’re so way off target that they’ll give up trying. This is the perfect time for the health and fi tness industry to step in, decode
the guidelines and present them in a way that helps people understand what they should be doing and, more importantly, how they can fi t this into their busy lives. So what should we focus on? This is the fi rst time that the CMO
guidelines have mentioned the early years and older adults: no-one is too old, or too young, to reap the benefi ts of being active. Indeed, the importance of balance and co-ordination work among older people is specifi cally referenced. Is it time for the health and fi tness industry to do even more to effectively cater for these demographic groups? And how should we respond to new guidance that 75 minutes’ vigorous
john searle fia • chief medical officer
“I
t is no longer up for debate: these guidelines provide the industry
with evidence-based statements on how much physical activity people must undertake. This is a landmark document for many reasons, but not least because they mention fitness and leisure centres as one of the many facilities which can support individuals to
meet the guidelines. They also acknowledge the importance of resistance training and vigorous forms of activity, both of which our sector is perfectly placed to deliver. The industry needs to realise we provide a service that the entire population needs. To implement the guidelines we need to do two things:
communicate the message that everyone needs to be active, and develop tailored programmes for individuals who currently don’t exercise or consider using the fitness sector. The new guidelines could open up the sector to a portion of
the population we have not previously met, and we will have to amend our offer for their needs: for example, older adults requiring resistance training to improve their balance. Properly implemented, these guidelines could help our operators take one step closer to becoming hubs of the community.
”
ian wakefield imspa • business development manager
“I
n order to maximise the impact of these guidelines, the industry
needs to be more innovative and think outside of the box. There needs to be a joined-up approach across the sector, involving schools, community groups, health workers, sports clubs, youth clubs, insurance companies, patient groups and employment organisations.
As young children are specifically mentioned in the guidelines,
we need to look at engaging parents and providing activities they can do with babies and young children. Many facilities offer crèches which currently only offer a babysitting service – these could be actively used to encourage physical activity. We also need targeted, considered campaigns and policies
to make sure that non-sporty people aren’t too intimidated to try a new sport. Use of social networking sites will become increasingly important to help us achieve this. Young people have grown up with technology, and we need to use it as best we can to get them active. Most importantly, in order to deliver the guidelines, we need
professional, motivated and enthusiastic staff: professional bodies, such as IMSPA, can help in this respect.
” 30 Read Health Club Management online
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital october 2011 © cybertrek 2011
kath hudson • journalist • health club management
The Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) of the four home countries have issued new guidelines based on the most recent research evidence. What impact will this have on our industry?
activity – spread across the week in bouts of 10 minutes or more – can have comparable benefi ts to 150 minutes’ moderate intensity activity? The report also recommends strength training and recognises the damaging effects of too much sitting. So how can the industry maximise the impact of these guidelines? There are a couple of grey areas.
What does activity for under-fi ves mean, for example – sport, or just playing in the park? And where does moderate activity stop and vigorous begin? However, overall the guidelines would seem to present a number of messages for the fi tness sector to latch onto. We ask the experts for their thoughts.
WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE NEW CMO GUIDELINES? EMAIL US:
HEALTHCLUB@LEISUREMEDIA.COM
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