Exercise for 30 minutes daily and achieve powerful health benefits
Lower the risk of stroke, cardiovascular disease and high blood pressure, along with the incidence of Alzheimer's and diabetes and colon cancer.
H
as your doctor prescribed exercise? Has he/ she asked how many minutes per week you are physically active?
Exercise is Medicine is a global initiative that was launched by the Ameri- can College of Sports Medicine in 2007. The goals of Exercise is Medi- cine Canada are to: • Increase the number of health care profession- als who are assessing, prescribing and counsel- ing patients in physical activity; • Increase the number of Canadians meeting the Canadian Physical Activ- ity Guidelines and the Canadian Sedentary Be- haviour Guidelines; and
Janet Cranston Fit for Life
• Encourage the appropriate use of qualified exer-
cise professionals in the prevention and treatment of chronic disease. Exercise is Medicine Canada is based upon abundant evidence that physical activity and exercise reduce the risk of chronic disease and the belief that: • Most Canadians can find simple ways to incor-
porate physical activity and exercise into their daily routines; • More should be done to address physical activity
and exercise in the healthcare setting; physical activity and exercise should be incorporated as a key health indicator and standard of medical care as a vital sign; and • Certified exercise professionals serve as important resources for Canadians and their healthcare provid- ers.
Tremendous health benefits are seen with even
low levels of physical activity. Meeting the Canadian physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes of moder- ate to vigorous physical activity per week: • Lowers the risk of stroke by 27 to 45 per cent.
Exercise is medicine.
• Reduces the incidence of diabetes by 25 to 58 per cent. • Reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by 33 to 50 per cent. • Reduces the incidence of high blood pressure by 33 to 60 per cent. • Can reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent breast cancer by 25 to 50 per cent. • Can lower the risk of colon cancer by 30 to 60 per cent. • Can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 40 per cent. • Can decrease depression as effectively as medica- tions or behavioral therapy. • Reduces risk of premature death by 31 to 50 per
cent. On average, fewer than 15 per cent of Canadian
adults and fewer than seven per cent of Canadian chil- dren meet the Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines. Canadian children and youth on average watch TV six hours per day of screen time on weekdays and over seven hours per day on weekends.
one of the most impor- tant things you can do to maintain your physi- cal health and increase the quality of your life as you get older. Walk- ing, stretching and keep- ing your muscles in good condition will help you maintain your indepen- dence.
However, if you are
like most Manitobans, you probably feel a little confused about the infor- mation available to us re- garding being physically active. Just stand in line at any supermarket and you will be inundated with titles from magazine articles jumping out at you. Each week there seems to be a new mir- acle exercise or new piece of equipment that we just must have. It can all be a bit
Susan Charach Healthy Living
Fitting exercise into your life A
ctive older adults have the func- tion and fitness of those much younger. Physical activity is
overwhelming but it doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tips to help you be- come more physically active: • Choose something
that you like to do or want to try. • Start slowly and grad-
ually build up time, until you are able to do 30 to 60 minutes of moderate activity most days of the week. • Start with activities
you can easily build into your daily routine. • Get off the bus one
stop earlier and walk the rest of the way. • Move around fre- quently. • Stand up and sit
down several times in a row to strength- en your legs. • Do some stretching every day to in- crease your flexibility. • Do more of what you are already
doing.
Canadian Physical Activity Guidelines for adults
• Accumulate at least 150 minutes of moderate to vig- orous aerobic physical activity per week in bouts of 10 minutes or more
• Add muscle or bone strengthening activities using ma- jor muscle groups at least two times per week
• Those with poor mobility should perform physical ac- tivities to enhance balance and prevent falls.
Watching TV for more than two hours per day
is associated with unfavourable body composition, decreased fitness, lowered scores for self-esteem and prosocial behaviour, and decreased academic achieve- ment.
Janet Cranston is director of support services at the Reh- Fit Centre.
No pun intended, but there may be no better way to add years and vigour to your time on this planet.
• Join a mall walking or hall walking program. • Check out an exercise program spe- cifically geared to older adults. Before you begin an exercise program
or add more activity to your lifestyle, it is wise to check out the physical activity readiness questionnaire established by the Canadian Society for Exercise Physi- ology. If you are thinking of joining a fitness class here are a few tips on assessing a fitness leader: • Is the leader accredited by the Mani- toba Fitness Council Inc.? • Does the leader inquire about your current level of fitness? • Does the leader provide modifica-
tions of exercises or alternatives to ac- commodate a variety of fitness levels and abilities? • Does the leader explain the benefits
of each exercise and demonstrate the correct way to perform them? • Does the leader explain how to monitor the intensity of the cardiovascu- lar portion of the class?
• Does the leader move around the room to give individual instruction? • Does the leader encourage a non- competitive atmosphere that allows par- ticipants to exercise at their own level? • Does the leader interact with the participants most of the time or does he/ she look in the mirror more often? • Does the leader create a fun atmo- sphere? • Is the leader organized and pre-
pared? • Is the leader friendly and interested in you as a person? The best way to keep going once you
have taken that first step is to do activi- ties that are easy to fit in your schedule and are fun for you to do. To get the health benefits you want from physical activity, you need to do it regularly, so pick activities that you think you can re- alistically build into your daily life. Susan Charach is a recreation co-ordinator at Victoria General Hospital. To support patient care at the Vic, please contact the Vic Foundation at 204-477-3513 or online at
thevicfoundation.ca.
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www.lifestyles55.net
June 2015
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