#MakeItFit
Trinity Physiotherapy students, supervised by Dr. Emer Barrett, ran the #MakeItFit campaign on the Healthy Trinity website and social media. This is a reel they made for Instagram about excuses. Scroll down to see the full campaign or read this abstract about it.
#MakeItFit is brought to you by Trinity physio students who aim to help you make exercise fit around your new academic lifestyle. Keep an eye out for our posts over the next few weeks for tips on how to maximise your in person and online learning whilst optimising your physical health!
On Campus
When in college for lectures…... Why not take a break to discover a new part of your Trinity campus? Getting fresh air and aiming for your daily 10000 steps can be the perfect opportunity to boost endorphins and clear a scattered head! Play around with different routes through campus, we’ve added a 1km round trip that's off your usual beaten track. Why not bring along a classmate and complete our sample 10 minute campus loop before heading off for a coffee or your next lecture.
Off Campus
Why not take your lecture outdoors? Make the most of pre-recorded lectures and get moving whilst listening to your lecturer like a podcast! Take necessary pit stops outdoors to read slides and use voice notes to record key learning points to convert to written notes later.
The club experience - at home.
Why not link in with the wide range of clubs and societies on offer at Trinity? Although most activities have been restricted in person, many societies offer exercise opportunities over video call and now is a perfect time to join with many classes beginner orientated there's, no reason not to get involved. Link in with DUHAC offering circuit classes every Thursday or DU Karate with zoom practice every Saturday. Contact clubs directly to know more about what events are happening.
Make your office your gym when the dumbbells are out of reach
You don't need a gym to maintain and build muscle mass at home. Bodyweight exercises can be effective at increasing muscle strength and exercise endurance. Take advantage of short breaks throughout the day to fit in a range of “office friendly exercise” which can target all of your lower body muscles.
Power in company
Get the whole office involved. There's power in company so encourage your coworkers to crunch out a few of these movements. Our bodies love movement and muscle activation with resistance training also promoting bone health and metabolism. Try to do a group leaderboards for the most squats completed throughout a workday!
DIY has never looked so ACTIVE
Why not substitute your dumbbells for these handy homemade alternatives. Even if the weights are light, increasing your number of repetitions (15-20) has shown to contribute to muscle strength.
Weekly Exercise Goals
According to the latest research, together we should aim for 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous exercise a week.
Moderate intensity exercise can be achieved when:
The easiest and most accessible example of moderate intensity exercise is a brisk walk. New guidelines show exercise doesn't need to be completed in a set manner so completing a power walk to your next lecture/meeting can add to those 150 minutes!
Experts also recommend to fit in 2 days where you complete some form of resistance training such a bodyweight training (squats etc). See our previous posts for simple ideas to implement bodyweight exercise into your daily routine.
Sedentary Behaviour
This behaviour refers to any activity that doesn’t require the body to use up energy. Some examples include prolonged sitting down at a desk, lying in bed, watching Netflix etc. Why does this matter? Studies have shown that prolonged sitting throughout the day is associated with poorer mental health and poorer health outcomes later in life
In Europe, 64% of the population are estimated to be sitting for four or more hours a day.
In Ireland, 20-24.9% of over 15s spend 7 or more hours a day sitting down.
Those with higher education status report higher sitting times with those under 25 at higher risk.
How can be beat the seat?
- Walk around your room throughout your online lectures (or every 5 minutes).
- Complete any onsite group meetings whilst standing.
- Place your phone on the opposite side of the room so you get up to check your notifications.
- Drink plenty of water to increase the frequency of your toilet breaks.
Instagram Stories - Routine is Key
Having structure to your day can give you a sense of control. Routine can improve your focus, organisation and productivity.
The Starting point of any routine is having proper sleep hygiene – try to go to sleep and wake up at the same time everyday. With poor quality sleep you're not working at your best and our top tip to improve your sleep quality Is to incorporate resistance training into your routine
Having a specific spot in your house to do your lectures (somewhere other than your bed) can also help you have structure to your day.
Instagram Stories - Sleep Quality
There is strong support that exercise helps improve your ability to get to sleep and to sleep well, particularly important with a day of extended screen time watching lectures.
It can also help reduce the time it takes to fall asleep and reduce midday sleepiness.
Instagram Stories - Cognitive function
Single episodes of exercise can immediately improve your brains ability to plan, organise and get off to a running start in your academic work.
It can also improve your ability to pay attention to lecturers and recall key learning points.
Instagram Stories - Mental Health
Frequent exercise can help reduce depressive symptoms for those with and without a diagnosis of clinical depression.
Furthermore exercise can help reduce severity of both short term and long term symptoms of anxiety.
Instagram Stories - Function and Fatigue
Exercise can make day to day tasks such as climbing numerous flights of stairs easier over time with a potential reduction of daily fatigue for those with a more vigorous schedule.
References:
Oxfeldt, M., Overgaard, K., Hvid, L.G. and Dalgas, U., 2019. Effects of plyometric training on jumping, sprint performance, and lower body muscle strength in healthy adults: A systematic review and meta‐analyses. Scandinavian journal of medicine & science in sports, 29(10), pp.1453-1465.
Xu, J., Lombardi, G., Jiao, W. and Banfi, G., 2016. Effects of exercise on bone status in female subjects, from young girls to postmenopausal women: an overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Sports Medicine, 46(8), pp.1165-1182.
Kovacevic A, Mavros Y, Heisz JJ, Singh MA. The effect of resistance exercise on sleep: a systematic review of randomized controlled trials. Sleep medicine reviews. 2018 Jun 1;39:52-68.
American College of Sports Medicine. ACSM's guidelines for exercise testing and prescription. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2013 Mar 4.
Katzmarzyk, P.T., Powell, K.E., Jakicic, J.M., Troiano, R.P., Piercy, K., Tennant, B. and 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee, 2019. Sedentary behavior and health: update from the 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 51(6), p.1227.
Bennie, J.A., Chau, J.Y., van der Ploeg, H.P., Stamatakis, E., Do, A. and Bauman, A., 2013. The prevalence and correlates of sitting in European adults-a comparison of 32 Eurobarometer-participating countries. International journal of behavioral nutrition and physical activity, 10(1), p.107.
BRITISH HEART FOUNDATION NATIONAL CENTRE (BHFNC) FOR PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND HEALTH 2012. Sedentary behaviour evidence briefing. Loughborough University, UK.