Erasmus plus - Stretching and Strengthening at Work interact

Stretching and Strengthening at Work

Being active at home and during leisure To complement exercise at workplace, one should aim to be active out of work too, in aim to retain health values of regular physical activity. However, it appears that most Europeans, when arrive home from work, spend too much time in front of the screen comfortably tucked away in an armchair while watching tennis or basketball played (and enjoyed) by others (European Commission , 2018). Many go everywhere by a car while bikes collect the dust in the basement. The following pages contain practical recommendations about how employees (and other groups) can change behaviors and be active again and again at home and during leisure, keeping in mind that physical activity is important for all people throughout their whole lives (WHO , 2020). Keep remind yourself that the most people can significantly improve the level of physical activity, but even small changes can have a major impact on the health! How much physical activity is needed for good health? Everyone needs physical activity - children more than adults, and elderly should also be physically active on a regular basis, as well as any other population wishing to preserve and improve health (EU Physical Activity Guidelines , 2008; Physical Activity Guidelines to Americans , 2015). A person can be physically active everywhere and in every place: at work or in school; during leisure time when walking, playing basketball with friends, practicing Pilates in a fitness club; when doing housework such as window washing or vacuuming; when walking or riding bike to work. It’s not mandatory to choose one specific type of activity to be healthy and feel good; each person could (and should) enjoy various physical activities according to his/her specific needs and affinities. Someone prefers to ride a bike in the park while others prefer training in a fitness club. For the positive effects of physical activity on health and health-related physical fitness, a well-defined amount and type of activity is needed, which is relatively modest and really not too hard to achieve ( Figure 19 ).

At least 150 min of moderate-to vigurous-intesity aerobic physical activity per week

Aerobic activity should be performed in bouts of at least 10 minutes duration

Muscle-strengthening activities should be done on 2 or more days a week

More physical activity provides greater health benefits

Figure 19 | Recommended amount of physical activity for adults aged 18 to 64 years While we discussed a lot about stretching and muscle-strengthening activities in previous pages, aerobic activities are also fundamental for maintaining optimal health. It is recommended that adults aged 18–64 should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or do at least 75 minutes of vigorous-intensity aerobic physical activity throughout the week, or an equivalent combination of moderate - and vigorous-intensity activity (Physical Activity Guidelines to Americans , 2015). Aerobic activities are crucial for the health of

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