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What the guidelines recommend (Canadian example)

In simple words

Your body is like a bike: it works best when you ride it often. Canada has a simple guide that says how much to move, how much to sit, and how much to sleep each day.

Key facts

This course uses the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (from CSEP, the Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology) as its example. They cover moving, sitting and sleeping. If you live elsewhere, your country's health authority may publish its own guidelines.

Adults 18 to 64

At least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity.
Muscle-strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice a week.
Several hours of light physical activity, including standing.
Limit sedentary time to 8 hours or less, including no more than 3 hours of recreational screen time, and break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.
7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep, with consistent bed and wake-up times.

Adults 65 and older

Same 150 minutes and twice-weekly strengthening, plus activities that challenge balance.
Limit sedentary time to 8 hours or less; 7 to 8 hours of good-quality sleep.

Children and youth 5 to 17

At least 60 minutes per day of moderate to vigorous activity; vigorous activity and muscle and bone strengthening at least 3 days per week.
No more than 2 hours per day of recreational screen time.
Sleep: 9 to 11 hours (ages 5 to 13), 8 to 10 hours (ages 14 to 17).

CSEP says progressing toward any of these targets will result in some health benefits.

Step by step

Find your age group: adults 18 to 64, adults 65 and older, or children and youth 5 to 17.
Write down the activity target for your group, for example at least 150 minutes a week for adults 18 to 64.
Write the strengthening target: muscle-strengthening at least twice a week for adults.
Write the sleep target for your age.
Write the limit on sitting and recreational screen time.
Check: you have a one-page list of your own targets. Moving toward them gives benefits even if you are not there yet.

Watch on YouTube

The 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for CanadiansSask Polytechnic Fitness On-Demand · YouTube · youtube.com

Canada's 24-Hour Movement Guidelines explainedReh-Fit Centre · YouTube · youtube.com

Videos by other creators on YouTube, for reference. They are not made by or affiliated with The Future Market.

LESSON 01What the guidelines recommend (Canadian example)

LESSON 01 / ANIMATED LESSON / AI VOICE00:00 / 01:15

Voice

Read the video script

[Host] "How much exercise do you actually need? Canada has an answer."
[Text on screen: 150 minutes a week] "Adults: at least one hundred fifty minutes a week of moderate to vigorous activity. That's about thirty minutes, five days a week."
[Text on screen: Strength 2x a week] "Plus muscle strengthening at least twice a week."
[Text on screen: Sit 8 hours or less] "Sit eight hours or less a day, and break up long sitting."
[Host] "Kids need sixty minutes every day. And the good news: any progress toward these targets brings some health benefits."

Try it now

Write down how many minutes you moved (brisk walking or harder) each day last week, how many hours you sat, and how many hours you slept. Compare with the guideline for your age.

ClaudeStuck? Copy a ready-made prompt for Claude

Copy this, open Claude, paste it, and Claude will walk you through the lesson step by step.

For a grown-up: Claude is for adults (18+). Copy this, paste it into Claude, and use the answer to explain the lesson to your child.

I'm learning "Home Fitness Basics" on The Future Market. Lesson 1: "What the guidelines recommend (Canadian example)".

What the lesson teaches:
- At least 150 minutes per week of moderate to vigorous aerobic activity.
- Muscle-strengthening activities using major muscle groups at least twice a week.
- Several hours of light physical activity, including standing.
- Limit sedentary time to 8 hours or less, including no more than 3 hours of recreational screen time, and break up long periods of sitting as often as possible.
- 7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep, with consistent bed and wake-up times.
- Same 150 minutes and twice-weekly strengthening, plus activities that challenge balance.
- Limit sedentary time to 8 hours or less; 7 to 8 hours of good-quality sleep.

The exercise I'm working on:
Write down how many minutes you moved (brisk walking or harder) each day last week, how many hours you sat, and how many hours you slept. Compare with the guideline for your age.

I'm stuck. Please:
1. Explain the main idea in plain, simple words with one everyday example.
2. Walk me through the exercise one small step at a time. Ask me what I've done so far before giving the next step.
3. Don't just give me the final answer. Help me do it myself, and check my work when I share it.
4. This is for learning only. Remind me to check with a licensed professional before I make a real decision about my own money, health or legal situation.

I'm a parent helping my child (about 8 years old) with a lesson called "What the guidelines recommend (Canadian example)" from the course "Home Fitness Basics".

Here's what the lesson says:
Your body is like a bike: it works best when you ride it often. Canada has a simple guide that says how much to move, how much to sit, and how much to sleep each day.

The activity:
Write down how many minutes you moved (brisk walking or harder) each day last week, how many hours you sat, and how many hours you slept. Compare with the guideline for your age.

Please explain this so an 8-year-old understands: short sentences, a fun everyday example, and no hard words.
Then give me 3 simple questions I can ask my child to check they understood, and a way to do the activity together, one tiny step at a time.
Keep it general and educational. This is not advice for a real situation.

Open Claude

Sources

Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 18-64: csepguidelines.ca/guidelines/adults-18-64/
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Adults 65+: csepguidelines.ca/guidelines/adults-65/
Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth 5-17: csepguidelines.ca/guidelines/children-youth/

My notes

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