A typical lifestyle?
These case studies highlight some of the challenges people face in their daily lives if they are to become more physically active and reduce sedentary behaviours.
Linda
Linda is a solicitor and the mother of two primary-aged children. A typical day starts at 6.30am when they get up and get ready. By 7.45am they are in the car, negotiating the traffic to school where the children attend a breakfast club. Linda drives straight on to work to be at her desk by 8.30am. She has half an hour to deal with emails before the first clients arrive. She spends her morning meeting clients, making phone calls, dealing with paperwork and liaising with her colleagues. She quickly eats a sandwich at her desk while finalising papers for an afternoon court case then drives across town to the court. She is there for two hours before driving back to the office to process the follow-up papers. She leaves the office at 5.30pm, just in time to collect the children from their after-school club, and they drive to the supermarket on the way home. Before tea, Linda helps the children with their homework then they play computer games while she cooks and washes-up. They watch TV together before the children go to bed where Linda reads them a bedtime story. After tidying up and sorting the children's kit for the next day, Linda catches up on some more emails and deals with the household bills via the internet. She finally gets to bed at 11.30pm.
Imran
Imran is an IT manager at a large, international company and the father of two teenagers 鈥 Atif (13) and Nazia (15). Imran visits the local mosque each morning before catching an early train to work. Atif and Nazia get a bus to school as it is on the other side of the city. Imran spends most of his day at his desk, dealing with queries, researching new IT solutions and processing orders. He eats lunch in the canteen as the office is too far from the nearest amenities to walk there in the lunch break. In the afternoon he attends a team meeting on the 6th floor, travelling there in the lift. The meeting overruns so he stays later than usual at work to catch up. He takes a late train home, arriving in time for the evening meal, before attending a meeting at the local community centre. Imran is on the management committee. Atif and Nazia also get home late after attending extra-curricular clubs at school 鈥 Nazia is a member of the school's media team and Atif plays chess. After eating, Nazia goes to her room to revise as she is preparing for her GCSEs. She works for a couple of hours at her desk before socialising with friends on social media. Atif finishes his homework then hooks up with some friends to continue a multiplayer computer game. The family finishes the day with prayers.
Question
What two things could Linda and Imran do at work to reduce the time they spend being sedentary?
Possible solutions include:
- standing up for tea breaks
- standing or walking about when on the phone
- climbing stairs instead of taking the escalator or lift
- rearranging the office so they have to walk to reach the wastepaper basket or printer
- taking a short lunchtime walk
- parking further away from the office
Question
What two things could Nazia and Atif do on school days to increase their levels of physical activity so that they meet the recommended 60 minutes a day?
Possible solutions include:
- walking part of the way to and from school by getting off the bus earlier
- swapping some of the computer games to include activity-based computer games
- taking part in a lunchtime physical activity club at school
- doing one physical extra-curricular club a week
- going for a brisk walk, short run or cycle ride between homework and the evening meal
- following a dance or exercise DVD in the house
- meeting up with friends for fun, informal physical activities in the street or local park
- do energetic chores such as heavy gardening or washing the car