Why Physical Activity is a TENSH Habit

Physical activity is the most powerful tool for health, wellbeing and quality of life. It benefits all aspects of physical and mental health, and consistently outperforms medicinal and other interventions in the prevention and management of health conditions. If the benefits of physical activity could be put into a pill, it would be the most popular on earth.
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44% of Australians meet the guideline of 150-300 minutes of weekly physical activity, which demonstrates a significant opportunity for health improvement. The benefits of physical activity begin at any increment above zero. This means that every bit counts, so even if you are not able to reach the guidelines, yet, any increase in physical activity you can manage will benefit your health.

What’s Essential to Know

Physical activity is any movement produced by large muscle groups. It’s often broken into three domains:
leisure, transport and occupational (physical work tasks).

The Physical Activity and Exercise Guidelines for all Australians recommend

150-300 mins

of moderate physical
activity per week

brisk walking, slow swimming, and tasks such as mowing the lawn.

75-150 mins

of vigorous activity per
week

running, fast cycling and high-intensity fitness classes.

Combination

An equivalent combination of
both

Mix and match moderate and vigorous activities

Calculate Your Activity Minutes

Since most people perform a combination of moderate intensity and vigorous activity, TENSH recommends utilising the 150-300 minute target and counting vigorous activity minutes as double towards this target.

Moderate Intensity Minutes + (Vigorous Minutes x 2) = Total

Moderate Minutes

Vigorous Minutes

100 Moderate + 58 Vigorous Minutes =

216

Total Physical Activity Minutes

The Talk Test - Moderate or Vigorous Activity

Most people cannot maintain a conversation during vigorous activity.

Actionable Implementation

There are two ways to increase total physical activity: Increase the total amount of physical activity, or increase the intensity of existing physical activity (moderate to vigorous). TENSH recommends the Activate, Integrate and Elevate framework to make this happen.

Activate

Bring more movement into your daily routine through simple habits — walk during phone calls, take the stairs, or park a bit farther from your destination.

These everyday choices boost your activity without needing extra time. Still, casual movement has its limits, and better fitness often requires more structured effort.

Integrate

Include moderate-intensity activities in your schedule — such as walking, cycling, swimming, strength training, or even mowing the lawn as part of your week.

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These planned movements go beyond basic activity. They improve your fitness, enhance performance, and lay the foundation for moving into higher-intensity workouts.

Elevate

Advance your fitness by increasing the intensity of your workouts — run instead of jog, swim or cycle faster, or take part in high-level fitness classes.

Vigorous activity delivers the biggest improvements in strength,
endurance, and overall physical performance, helping you reach your peak potential.

Impact on Chronic Conditions

Regular physical activity is the primary prevention and management tool for Australia’s most prevalent chronic diseases. Physical inactivity contributes to substantial proportions of disease burdens, including:

19% for diabetes
16% for bowel and uterine cancer
14% for dementia
11% for breast cancer and coronary heart disease
10% for stroke.

Physical activity is essential for the prevention and management of cancer, mental health conditions and musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoporosis.

Impact on Workplace Health

Physical activity enhances workplace performance by improving cognitive function, increasing energy levels, and promoting better stress management. Research also showed that increased levels of activity were associated with a reduction in unplanned absences.
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Interestingly, workers with a high level of physical activity and two or more chronic diseases had comparable unplanned absences as workers with low physical activity and no chronic disease. This highlights the protective effect of physical activity.