The Importance of Being Exercised!

Strong research evidence shows that physical inactivity increases the risk of many adverse health conditions, including major non-communicable diseases such as coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, breast and colon cancers, and shortens life expectancy.

You may have heard this music as it is often repeated and has become somewhat like elevator music, heard but not understood. So how about we crank up the bass a bit; “more people die from inactivity in the world compared to those dying from cigarette smoking”. What! Sitting on the couch is more deadly than sucking a cig?

Yup. A series of papers published in the medical journal The Lancet, details the deadly impact on health of being inactive. In fact, the papers suggest that more than 5.3 million deaths would be avoided each year if all inactive people exercised, a similar number to the 5 million deaths annually from smoking related diseases.

The paper’s lead author Lee, found that if everyone reached their weekly exercise targets, about 6 per cent of those who died globally from heart attacks would have survived, as would 7 per cent of those who died of type 2 diabetes, and 10 per cent of those who died from breast or colon cancer. The weekly target is achieved by moderate (brisk walking) exercise of 150 minutes per week.

So our cozy homes, motorized transport, couch recreation and computer determined occupations are slowly killing us. Hallal in another paper, found 31-43% adults are inactive and that inactivity rises with age, is higher in women than in men, and is increased in high-income countries.

Solution. Print this page out, place it on the ground and start walking on it. Build up to a moderate pace and continue for 30 minutes. Done. Congratulations. You have achieved a milestone that 5.3 million others haven’t. While you’re on a role, look at your week, and prioritise when you will be able to repeat this feat 4 other times. Try before your shower, a walk in the park or on the beach before you drive home, around the sports ground where you child is playing or during your favorite TV show. If you lock exercise into a regular time interval or event it can happen, put it in the ‘leave it till later’ and it won’t.

So important is activity, that at Esperance Physiotherapy we prescribe Exercise Pills. In essence we help clients to choose the type and format of your exercise. We can provide them with your baseline measurements like body mass index, spirometry, grip strength, girth, weight, mobility, blood pressure and what are normal for their age and gender. We help can use our movement analysis and pain management skills to overcome any physical hurdles and guide them along a path of progressive physical improvement.

Remember, exercise is earnest. Our lives depends upon it.

Kind regards

Doug Cary

Clinical Director AAP Education

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