Frequently Asked Questions

What is #MacMoves?  

#MacMoves is a McMaster-wide initiative created to promote an active and healthy campus. We are offering FREE unique activities, educating on health and fitness, and highlighting opportunities throughout the entire campus to get active!

Who do we want to participate in #MacMoves?

ALL undergraduate students, graduate students, professors, McMaster staff, etc. If you’re part of the McMaster Community, we want you to help you integrate movement into your daily life. 

Why did we create #MacMoves?

Physical activity is a pillar of a healthy lifestyle and a key component for academic success¹. #MacMoves is here to get the McMaster community moving more and sitting less, and increase the knowledge around physical activity and health.

On March 2nd, 2018, McMaster University’s Board of Governors approved the signing of the Okanagan Charter. The charter, an outcome of the 2015 International Conference on Health Promoting Universities and Colleges, encourages institutions to make health and wellbeing a priority in everything they do. #MacMoves is one way McMaster University is working toward the commitments of the charter.

How much physical activity do we need?

Adults aged 18-64 need 2.5 hours of accumulated moderate-to-vigorous intensity aerobic physical activity in ten minute periods or more per week^2,3. It is beneficial to incorporate muscle- and bone-strengthening activities at least 2 days per week^2,3 .

Aerobic activity is any activity that raises your heart rate and breathing for a sustained period. Moderate-intensity physical activities will cause adults to sweat a little and to breathe harder, while vigorous-intensity physical activities will cause adults to sweat and be ‘out of breath’ Many activities can fall into either intensity depending on how hard your body is working.

References

1. Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology. (2016). Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth: An Integration of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour, and Sleep Guideline Development Report. Retrieved from http://www.csep.ca/CMFiles/Guidelines/24hrGlines/GuidelineDevReport_June2016_final.pdf
2. Canadian Society of Exercise Physiology. (2010). Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines: For Adults 18-64 Years. Retrieved from https://www.participaction.com/sites/default/files/downloads/Participaction-Canadian-physical-activity-guidelines-adult.pdf
3.  Warburton DE, Charlesworth S, Ivey A, Nettlefold L, Bredin SS. (2010). A systematic review of the evidence for Canada's Physical Activity Guidelines for Adults. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act.;7 (39).
4. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. (2018). 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018.