70% of Australian adults are sedentary. This hard truth changes how you should eat and train to stay lean. There’s no getting around it.
I’ve got clients that when I refer to them as sedentary get a little uncomfortable. They get a little defensive. One might even say they get a little butthurt!
“No I’m not” they claim, defaulting back to their former teenage self.
“It’s ok, I didn’t call you a Trump supporter” I say as I place a loving hand on their shoulder to reassure them. But lets take a look shall we…
Are you horizontal for 6-7 hours a night, sit down to breakfast, sit down in the car to go to work, sit at your desk, sit at lunch, sit at your desk, sit in your car, then sit in front of the TV? Lets face it, unless your job makes you crack a sweat, you’re sedentary.
“Whatever mate, you’re just some bloke in a gym” I get the feeling they say to themselves.
They look at me like I’ve just seen their internet search history. I look at them and smile. Lets have a look at the facts eh?
What Is The Definition Of Sedentary?
According to the Sedentary Behaviour Research Network ( yeah, there is one, it surprised me too ) sedentary behaviour refers to any waking activity characterized by an energy expenditure of equal to or less than 1.5 metabolic equivalents in a sitting or reclining posture.
In general this means that any time a person is sitting or lying down, they are engaging in sedentary behaviour. Common sedentary behaviours include TV viewing, video game playing, computer use (collective termed “screen time”… so every single seated computer worker ), driving automobiles, and reading.
Statistically this is probably you, as according to the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey in to physical activity, nearly 70% of Australian adults (i.e. almost 12 million adults) fit this description and are either sedentary or have low levels of physical activity.
What Are The Implications Of Being Sedentary?
According to the 2011-12 Australian Health Survey into physical activity, 60% of Australian adults did less than the recommended 30 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity per day and less than one in five adults (19%) recorded 10,000 steps per day on average.’
So?
According to the latest Australian dietary guidelines released in 2013, you will need to do
60 minutes of vigorous activity 6 if not 7 days a week to maintain your weight.
To “maintain” your weight, not lose weight, maintain it. Welcome to the reality of being sedentary.
This is why the first thing you should always do when starting a weight loss journey is start moving more. Aim for that 6 hours a week of vigorous activity.
Think You Don’t Have Time?
I know you do. Let’s have a look at some more bloody stats
“Dr Paul Jelfs, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics, said the 2011-12 data reveals Australian adults spent an average of 13 hours a week watching TV. While males and females spent a similar number of hours sitting to watch TV, males spent around 45 minutes more per week using the computer (5.5 compared to 4.8 hours) and 40 minutes more playing electronic games (one hour compared to 18 minutes),” Dr Jelfs said.
That means males averaged 19.5 hours and ladies averaged 18 hours of TV, computer and video games.
Statistically we have the time. People just don’t want to.
I know people want it to be gluten.
I know they want it to be sugar.
I know they want it to be non organic food.
I know they want it to be [ insert latest scapegoat here ].
But the big fat elephant in the room when everyone is discussing the latest trend is the old, the unsexy, the tired and worn out reality that, we are just not moving very much anymore.
And this is what the evidence supports. If 60% of Australians don’t exercise for 30 mins a day and 70% of Australians are overweight or obese – you have to respect that statistic.
The hard reality is we have to start making time to exercise every day. There’s not a single supplement or drug on the market that even comes close to the health benefits of exercise. Nothing. Nada. Zip. Bubkus. Sweet F…… All. Not even close!
Only after you have done this can you even begin to decide if its gluten or toxicity or food sensitivities or your alcohol or your stress or Venus being in retrograde…..
We gotta train, people.
Share and like this info if you’ve had enough of all the gimmicks
Brad Stocks
Personal Trainer Bondi