What is Move More?
Move More is a Christ Church Sport project, which aims to provide tips, advice and motivation to help students and staff become more active in their day-to-day life.

Why do I need to be more active in my day?
Most of us know that physical activity is great for our health and wellbeing. Research shows that regular exercise can reduce the risk of chronic illness, such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and cancer, by up to 50% ¹. Evidence also suggests that physical activity can boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress and depression ¹.

It is recommended that adults should do at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity every week (30 minutes 5 times a week), such as fast walking, gardening, cycling, or playing sport ².

However, this exercise only takes up 30 minutes of your day! What about the other 23.5 hours?

Increasing evidence suggests that we need to reduce the amount of time we are inactive, such as long periods of sitting. Many adults in the UK spend more than 7 hours sitting a day ³. Think about your day… how many hours are you inactive? During a typical day most people are inactive:

• Eating meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner)
• Travelling to and from University (car, bus or train)
• Working or studying at a desk
• During the evening (watching TV, using a computer or socialising)

Technology has made it so easy for us to be sedentary and before you know it you’ve accumulated a lot of inactive time.

Why is it bad for me to be inactive?
Research suggests that a lack of activity is directly linked to an increased risk of being overweight and obese, cardiovascular events, type 2 diabetes, and some types of cancer ³.

How can I be more active in my day?
It is recommended that you break up long periods of inactivity or sitting with 1 or 2 minutes of movement ⁴. To help you be more active, the Move More project has provided a range of tips for you to try. These tips include:

• Set a reminder to move hourly
• Stand up when on the phone
• Eat lunch away from your desk
• Use the printer or bin furthest away
• Talk to friends or colleagues face-to-face
• Have meetings on the move
• Take the stairs not the lift
• Exercise at your desk
• Stand up to work or study
• Walk or cycle to and from University

What is the Move More Blog?
Students and staff have volunteered to try some of the Move More tips and share their experiences on the blog. We hope their experiences will inspire you to be more active and give you the confidence and motivation to try some of the tips yourself.

Do you want to become a Move More Blogger?
If you would like to write a blog post for Move More, please contact Natalie Goldring: natalie.goldring@canterbury.ac.uk

References

1. National Health Service (2013) Benefits of exercise. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/Whybeactive.aspx (Accessed: 15th March 2015).
2. National Health Service (2013) Physical activity guidelines for adults. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/physical-activity-guidelines-for-adults.aspx#moderate (Accessed: 15th March 2015).
3. National Health Service (2014) Why sitting too much is bad for your health. Available at: http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/fitness/Pages/sitting-and-sedentary-behaviour-are-bad-for-your-health.aspx (Accessed: 15th March 2015).
4. Department of Health (2011) Start Active, Stay Active: A report on physical activity from the four home countries’ Chief Medical Officers. Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/216370/dh_128210.pdf (Accessed: 15th March 2015).