4
ISSUES: Fitness & Health
Chapter 1: About fitness
Benefits of exercise
Step right up! It’s the miracle cure we’ve all been waiting for.
I
t can reduce your risk of major
illnesses, such as heart disease,
stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer
by up to 50% and lower your risk of
early death by up to 30%.
It’s free, easy to take, has an immediate
effect and you don’t need a GP to get
some. Its name? Exercise.
Exercise is the miracle cure we’ve always
had, but for too long we’ve neglected to
take our recommended dose. Our health
is now suffering as a consequence.
This is no snake oil. Whatever your age,
there's strong scientific evidence that
being physically active can help you lead
a healthier and even happier life.
People who do regular activity have a
lower risk of many chronic diseases, such
as heart disease, type 2 diabetes, stroke,
and some cancers.
Research shows that physical activity
can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep
quality and energy, as well as reducing
your risk of stress, depression, dementia
and Alzheimer’s disease.
“If exercise were a pill, it would be one
of the most cost-effective drugs ever
invented,” says Dr Nick Cavill, a health
promotion consultant.
Health benefits
Given the overwhelming evidence, it
seems obvious that we should all be
physically active. It’s essential if you want
to live a healthy and fulfilling life into old
age.
It’s medically proven that people who do
regular physical activity have:
Ö
up to a 35% lower risk of coronary
heart disease and stroke
Ö
up to a 50% lower risk of type 2
diabetes
Ö
up toa50% lower riskof coloncancer
Ö
up to a 20% lower risk of breast
cancer
Ö
a 30% lower risk of early death
Ö
up to an 83% lower risk of
osteoarthritis
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up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
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a 30% lower risk of falls (among older
adults)
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up to a 30% lower risk of depression
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up to a 30% lower risk of dementia.
What counts?
To stay healthy, adults should try to be
active daily and aim to achieve at least
150 minutes of physical activity over a
week through a variety of activities.
For most people, the easiest way to
get moving is to make activity part of
everyday life, like walking or cycling
instead of using the car to get around.
However, the more you do, the better,
and taking part in activities such as sports
andexercisewillmake youevenhealthier.
For any type of activity to benefit your
health, you need to be moving quick
enough to raise your heart rate, breathe
faster and feel warmer. This level of effort
is called moderate intensity activity. One
way to tell if you’reworking at amoderate
intensity is if you can still talk but you
can’t sing the words to a song.
If your activity requires you to work even
harder, it is called vigorous intensity
activity. There is substantial evidence
that vigorous activity can bring health
benefits over and above that ofmoderate
activity. You can tell when it’s vigorous
activity because you're breathing hard
and fast, and your heart rate has gone up
quite a bit. If you’re working at this level,
you won't be able to say more than a few
words without pausing for a breath.
Amodern problem
People are less active nowadays, partly
because technology has made our
lives easier. We drive cars or take public
transport. Machines wash our clothes.
We entertain ourselves in front of a TV
or computer screen. Fewer people are
doing manual work, and most of us have
jobs that involve little physical effort.
Work, house chores, shopping and other
necessaryactivitiesarefarlessdemanding
than for previous generations.
We move around less and burn off less
energy than people used to. Research
suggests that many adults spend more
than seven hours a day sitting down, at
work, on transport or in their leisure time.
People aged over 65 spend ten hours
or more each day sitting or lying down,
making them the most sedentary age
group.
Sedentary lifestyles
Inactivity is described by the Department
of Health as a “silent killer”. Evidence is
emerging that sedentary behaviour, such
as sitting or lying down for long periods,
is bad for your health.
Not only should you try to raise your
activity levels, but you should also reduce
the amount of time you and your family
spend sitting down.
Common
examples
of
sedentary
behaviour include watching TV, using
a computer, using the car for short
journeys and sitting down to read, talk
or listen to music – and such behaviour
is thought to increase your risk of many
chronic diseases, such as heart disease,
stroke and type 2 diabetes, as well as
weight gain and obesity.
“Previous generations were active more
naturally through work and manual
labour, but today we have to find ways
of integrating activity into our daily lives,”
says Dr Cavill.
Whether it’s limiting the time babies
spend strapped in their buggies, or
encouraging adults to stand up and
move frequently, people of all ages need
to reduce their sedentary behaviour.
“Thismeans that eachof us needs to think
about increasing the types of activities
that suit our lifestyle and can easily be
included in our day,” says Dr Cavill.
Crucially, you can hit your weekly activity
target but still be at risk of ill health if
you spend the rest of the time sitting or
lying down. For tips on building physical
activity and exercise into your day,
whatever your age, read
Get active your
way
on the NHS Choices website.
13 July 2015
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The above information is reprinted
with kind permission from NHS
Choices. Please visit
for
further information.
© NHS Choices 2017
