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The Health | february, 2019
fitness
Active for 150
minutes a week
Regular physical activities is beneficial
to our health in the long run. According to
Communication Officer for the Ministry
of Health Malaysia, Mohd Akram Ahmad
Sabri, everyone are encouraged to take
part in physical activity at least for 150
minutes every week, or 30 minutes a day.
“150 minutes of physical activity a week can help
maintain your ideal body weight and lower the risk of
infections and illnesses,” says Akram.
He adds, “Longer activities such as jogging, fast-
walking, hiking, cycling, swimming or aerobics can also
increase your heart health and stamina.”
Good regime and health check-up
For those who are serious in maintaining their health are
encouraged to follow their idol’s daily exercise regime to
keep them motivated.
“Other than that, regular health check-ups are a must
to monitor your blood sugar level,” he advises.
Music not only motivates us during exercise, it can also help us relax better during the recovery
period
After sports
recovery
Each of us who are active in sports needs at least
two to three days a week of rest, maybe even more
A
ccording to Health and Fitness
Lecturer from Universiti Selangor
(UNISEL) Wan Mohd Hakim Wan
Ismail, rest is very important. It is to
ensure the body goes through adjust-
ment and recovery.
High nutrition foods for the win
Wan states that a high nutrition diet can also help
to speed up the recovery process, especially after
strenuous activities.
“People who consume highly nutritious food,
one packed with protein for example, will have
lesser time to recover from their daily sporting
activities. They would also build up more muscle
by having those proteins,” he explains.
Additionally, studies made by the American
College of Sport Medicine shows that optimal
consumption of carbohydrates and fat can bring
positive effects to consumed protein.
“Our bodies uses those protein to help with
recovery and muscle building. Carbs and fat on the
other hand supplies the energy we need to keep
active.”
Quantity matters
Eating enough protein is good, however, you
should also know how much to take. Protein intake
depends highly on the goal of your workout.
“The amount of protein to consume depends on
what type of sports or activities you want to do.
Bodybuilding activities such as lifting weights for
example, will need more protein intake than say,
playing football,” Wan tells.
Sleep is also important
“Sleep also plays an important role with after sports
Wan Mohd
Hakim Wan
Ismail,
Health and
Fitness
Lecturer
from UNISEL.
recovery. Our bodies will have the chance to fully
recover during quality sleep of about six to eight
hours a day. The quality of sleep needs to be more
in focus rather than how long you sleep.”
Music and exercise
There has been numerous studies that shows
music can have ‘healing powers’. A researcher from
Finland stated in one of his studies that music can
actually help with recovery for stroke patients.
We all know that recovering from illnesses is not
an easy task, however with music, it can have an
impact towards our mood and brain function.
According to Wan, music is a great tool for recov-
ering as well as for motivation during strenuous
exercises. Many athletes uses music to help them
‘get into the one’ during exercises and training.
“Many would overlook these small factors when
it comes to exercising, yet they can impact how we
train and exercise. And most importantly, how we
recover from training and exercise. — The Health
Physical activity pyramid
In 2016, the health education department have devel-
oped a pyramid schedule for physical activity, and have
classified each activity according to our needs.
“This physical activity pyramid shows the types of
activities that can be done, and ones shouldn’t. For
example, one of the recommended daily activities include
going up and down the stairs. This means that we should
take the elevator less, especially if we are just travelling
one to two floors down or up.”
The physical activity pyramid is a simple guide to help
someone be more active in their daily life. The activities
listed on the bottom pyramid are the ones we should be
doing more, daily if possible. On the other hand, the ones
listed higher are the ones we should do intermittently.
Some advice before following the physical activity
pyramid:
• Undergo health
check-up and get
the doctor’s advice
first before you
start doing those
physical activities.
• Limitations and
moderation should
be made for people
with cardiovascular
disease, high blood
pressure, diabetes,
asthma, osteoporo-
sis and obesity.
• Men over 40 and
women over 50
should seek doc-
tor’s advice before
undergoing strenuous physical activities.
• Get advice about the frequency of exercise that can
be done before starting. Each individual have different
physical range and endurance level.
The physical activity pyramid explains, from bottom
to top:
i). Do every day, as much as possible. Activities include
climbing the stairs, walking to work, and chores such as
sweeping the floor and gardening.
ii). Do aerobics and other sports three to five times a
week for around 20 to 30 minutes per session. Activi-
ties include fast-walking, cycling, swimming, jogging,
badminton and other sports.
iii). Engage in beneficial exercises to maintain flexibility
and muscle building for two to three times a day. Activi-
ties include push-ups, weightlifting, and sit-ups.
iv). Lessen non-active activities such as watching televi-
sion, playing on the computer, and continuous resting
that does not break a sweat. These type of activities will
make you feel lethargic and more stressed out for some.
— The Health
Time allocated for physical activity
People who consume highly nutritious food,
one packed with protein for example, will have
lesser time to recover from their daily sporting
activities. They would also build up more
muscle by having those proteins.”
Demographic Time (per day)
Adult 30 minutes
Teenager 60 minutes
Children 60 minutes
Elderly 30 minutes