Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem that contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is a well established risk factor for heart disease.
Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem that contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health complications such as obesity, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. It is a well established risk factor for heart disease.
It is also a modifiable risk factor, which means that you can do something about it – and fairly easily too: simply walking more every day can have a profound effect on your health. Research has shown that not being physically active on a regular (150 minutes per week) basis is worse for you than many of the other risk factors (such a smoking and alcohol use). Even lean men and women who are inactive are at higher risk of death and disease than active individuals.
So, while reducing obesity is an important goal, the better message is to get people moving, as it can have a bigger impact on their health than losing weight.
Research has shown that by being physically active you can reduce your risk of a stroke by 27%, of diabetes by 50%, of high blood pressure by 40% and of colon cancer by over 60% and activity can considerably improve your mood and productivity at work.
To obtain optimal health benefits, physical activity should be of moderate intensity (enough so that you are out of breath but can still manage a conversation) and done on most days of the week for at least 30 minutes (or at least 150 minutes per week). The 30 minutes can be broken down into smaller blocks of three shorter periods of 10 minutes, or two shorter periods of 15 minutes – whatever suits your lifestyle. Further, it doesn’t have to be formalised physical activity and can simply be taking the dogs for a walk, walking to the shops instead of driving, or taking the stairs instead of the lift.
The bottom line is that it should be enjoyable and easily incorporated in your lifestyle.
If you are older and/or have any chronic disease/s, then you should consult a health-care practitioner to assess your readiness for physical activity prior to undertaking such activity.
The American College of Sports Medicine recently launched the ‘Exercise is Medicine’ initiative which supports the notion that health care providers – especially physicians – should play a vital role in encouraging patients to get healthy. On the flip side, biokineticists and personal trainers should have the hands-on opportunity to carry out the doctor’s orders within their practices or gyms respectively. "Exercise is preventative medicine," says Robert Sallis (MD), chair of the Exercise is Medicine Task Force. Physical activity isn’t just about looking good – it’s necessary for disease prevention and promotion of a long and healthy life.
Research has shown that by being physically active you can reduce your risk of a stroke by 27%, of diabetes by 50%, of high blood pressure by 40% and of colon cancer by over 60% and activity can considerably improve your mood and productivity at work.
* Candice Christie (PhD) is from the Department of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics, Rhodes University.
