The UK Government recently announced its brand new strategy, to join forces with former sports stars, health professionals and fitness experts to help an additional 3.5 million people get physically active by 2030, as part of a major national activity drive.
One of the initiative’s targets is to meet the UK Chief Medical Officers’ guidance: that Adults should aim to carry out at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity per week.
This follows the unveiling of some concerning new statistics from the Sport England Active Lives Survey, revealing that 25% of adults are currently deemed to be ‘inactive’ in England, with over 11 million doing less than 30 minutes of activity in total a week.
Why is this so important?
Simply put, lack of exercise is linked to a vast number of health risk factors, complications and diseases, including obesity, diabetes, heart disease to name just a few – as well as increasing the risk of mental health conditions, from low mood to anxiety & depression.
With many modern jobs and careers involving little to no physical activity (coupled with the drastic increase in individuals working-from-home), it’s no surprise that non-exercise activity levels have dropped. Our sedentary lifestyles are, quite literally, taking years off our lives.
With this in mind, it’s now more crucial than ever to establish a regular habit of exercise.
Our Take
At SCFIT, we believe in the long game. As a CrossFit Affiliate, our methodology centres around constantly varied functional movement, performed at a relative high intensity. So what does this mean in real terms?
It means the movements we coach are functional: picking things up, putting things down, getting down, standing back up again, pushing, pulling, dragging and carrying – movements which mirror those in everyday life. We aim to keep members fit and active not just today (or tomorrow, or next year), but for life. The variety is also key – life itself is naturally varied, and we find ourselves meeting all kinds of physical demands at different times. Whether it’s picking up and carrying a child, or steadying yourself on uneven ground, or getting up out of a deep chair – this is what we train for.
When it comes to intensity – at SCFIT we have this covered. Our classes and workouts are all scaled to the individual, to ensure the appropriate intensity is achieved relative to the individual’s experience and fitness level. This too is key. Intensity is a big part of a training regime’s effectiveness, and even forms part of the Government’s guidance:
“Adults should aim to carry out at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week.”
What does this mean for you? It means that in a CrossFit class at SCFIT, you can ensure a check in the ‘intensity’ box, knowing you will be safely coached to work out at a level that is suitable for you.
150 Minutes
2 and a half hours: what does this look like in reality? It’s worth noting that this guideline is for *actual movement* time. So, if you’re turning up to your local leisure centre at 9am, eventually in the pool by 9:20am, in the sauna at 9:35am, showered and in the coffee shop by 10am, heading back to the car at 10:30…. Unfortunately this is not a 90 minute session. Suddenly the Gov’s suggestion of 150 minutes can feel a little daunting… but it’s not all bad news.
How it’s done at SCFIT
Did you know that at SCFIT, our most popular membership is our 4-class-per-week package? We have found that this is the sweet-spot: 4 classes per week is more than just dabbling in fitness; it’s a habit. It’s the point where you start to see real results, and affect long term change.
Let’s do the math….
Looking at the timings of typical CrossFit class at SCFIT, factoring in time for a brief, teaching time (much of which will include movement!), water breaks etc, a typical class might consist of the following ‘moving’ times:
- Warm Up – 6 Mins
- Strength / Skill piece – 12 Mins
- Workout – 20 Mins
As a quick add-up, this brings us to 38 minutes of movement (some of which will be low intensity, some moderate, some high). Across four classes in a week, we’re at just over 150 minutes of movement, with the typical high and low intensity portions, we could reasonably say that we are averaging a moderate intensity.
This is no coincidence.
We stand by the Government’s guidance here: 150 minutes of exercise per week is an excellent place to start to improve your health and fitness for the long term.
Where do we go from here?
It starts with a chat. Whether you’re an existing member who’s struggling to make it to the gym regularly, or if you’re brand new to this whole exercise game, talk to us. We’re here to help, and we get it. If you’re new here, book yourself in for a free No Sweat Intro with one of our coaches, so we can chat to you about your goals and needs, and how we might be able to help.
Existing members can reach out to us on info@secondcityfitness.com to book a free Member Check in, so we can support you in reaching this 150 minutes per week target.