Read what we’re doing about exercise and physical activity.For school-aged children and young people (aged 5 to 17 years) high levels of physical activity, low levels of sedentary behaviour, and sufficient sleep each day achieves greater health benefits.

maintain or improve blood pressure, cholesterol and blood sugar levels.Īustralia’s physical activity guidelines can help you understand how much physical activity you need each day to be healthy.

reduce the risk of overweight and obesity.

reduce the risk of many health conditions.

Everyone should be active most days, preferably every day. Why physical activity is importantīeing active is important for good health and wellbeing at any age. An Ausplay study found that while almost 3 in 4 adults stayed active in 2020, only 1 in 6 kids exercised outside of school. Health concerns and restrictions – like school closures, gym closures and lockdowns – mean Australians had to change how, and how often, they are active.

the diseases most closely linked to physical inactivity are diabetes, bowel cancer, uterine cancer, dementia, breast cancer, coronary heart disease and stroke.ĬOVID-19 has added extra barriers to being active, especially for organised sport.

physical inactivity is responsible for more than 6% of the cancer burden in Australia, second only to tobacco smoking.

almost half (44%) of working-age adults spend much of their work day sitting.only 2% of teenagers aged 13 to 17 meet the guidelines.only 3 in 10 pregnant women meet the guidelines.2 in 3 (70%) children aged 2 to 17 do not meet the guidelines.more than half (55%) of adults do not meet the physical activity guidelines.Too many Australians are not active enough for various reasons, including poor health, injury and lack of time.Īustralian Institute of Health and Welfare and Australian Bureau of Statistics research found that in Australia: Sedentary behaviour and being physically inactive can result in a higher risk of some health conditions, such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and depression. You can do enough physical activity to meet the guidelines, and still be sedentary if you spend a lot of time sitting or lying down. Physical inactivity means not meeting the daily physical activity guidelines. It’s important to keep sedentary time to a minimum.

Even babies can be inactive – for example, when strapped in a stroller or car seat. Sedentary behaviour occurs throughout our entire lives. working or doing homework on a computer.We spend a lot of time being inactive at school, at work, when travelling or when relaxing.Ī lot of sedentary behaviour involves screen time. Sedentary behaviour is being inactive, either sitting or lying down for long periods (except when sleeping).

What we mean by sedentary behaviour and physical inactivity The guidelines give some examples of what you can do to incorporate physical activity in your daily life.

the maximum amount of time we should spend sitting or lying down (sedentary behaviour).

how much physical activity we should do.

The Australian physical activity guidelines outline: Whatever your age, you should be active most days, preferably every day. Physical activity can have instant, lasting health benefits.

vigorous – where you are out of breath and sweating, such as jogging, star jumping or doing sit ups.

moderate – where you are putting in some effort, but it is not strenuous, such as bike riding or going for a brisk walk.

light – where you might not even think about it, such as strolling around the garden, getting dressed or stretching.

You can be physically active at different intensities, including:

muscle strengthening activity – such as weight training or body weight exercises.

sport – such as playing rugby, netball or tennis.

exercise – structured or planned physical activity, such as going to the gym, a swim or a jog each day.

incidental activity – such as mowing the lawn, cleaning the house or walking to the bus stop.

Physical activity comes in many forms, including: Physical activity is anything that gets your body moving, makes you breathe faster and speeds up your heart rate. On this page What we mean by physical activity

Physical activity definition