New exercise guidelines officially released people

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The Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology on Monday officially announced its new recommendations for the time people should spend being active.

It is suggested that adults participate in at least 2 1/2 hours a week of moderate-to-vigorous activity. The old guidelines called for a range of 30 to 60 minutes a day.

For youths aged five to 17, the guidelines are for at least an hour of activity each day. It was suggested in the past that children start with 30 minutes a day of activity and gradually build up to 90 minutes.

The new guidelines reflect the most up-to-date research on what’s required to have a positive effect on health, the society says. However, it also suggests being active beyond these minimum guidelines because health outcomes improve with greater intensity, variation and duration of exercise.

A study from Statistics Canada last week showed just 15 per cent of Canadian adults, and seven per cent of children, meet the new guidelines.