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This month GP, Alice Fitzgibbon discusses the importance of staying active
Now that we’re in spring, this month we are going to talk about getting moving once again. It’s a good time to look at our activity levels and build some new habits. Exercise is vital for our overall health and well-being; it reduces the risks of many common health conditions and can even be a treatment for some. Many people who read this column will have an active job which can be great for strength building and reaching your recommended exercise targets. Let’s recap what the guidelines say we should be aiming for…
The targets recommended by the NHS for adults between the ages of 19-64 years of age are 150 minutes (2 and a half hours) of exercise per week, split over 4-5 sessions. So that’s 30 minutes of exercise on most days of the week. These sessions should include both strength building exercises (recommended twice per week) and exercise that gets pushes your heart and lungs to work harder.
When you are active enough to increase your heart rate, breathe faster and get sweaty, you are getting benefit from exercise. This level of effort is called moderate intensity activity. At moderate intensity you should be able to talk to someone easily, but you won’t have enough breath to sing out loud. Brisk walking, cycling, hiking and even lawn mowing are examples of moderate intensity exercises.
When you work even harder and put more effort into the activity it becomes vigorous intensity. At this level your heart rate is even faster, and you will find you lose your breath. This level of exertion is even better for you as it really gets your heart and lungs working hard. Examples of vigorous intensity exercise include running, swimming, cycling up hill, team sports like football or netball and skipping. You can do less vigorous intensity exercise to achieve the same benefits as doing moderate intensity exercise.
Two sessions of strength building exercise a week might be something new for you. Or it might be that you already do this part at work. Heavy lifting, manual work like shovelling, heavy gardening, lifting children repeatedly, yoga and anything that you do with your own body weight e.g. press-ups, counts in this category. Strength training is important as it helps build muscle, improve balance and flexibility, improves bone density and reduces the risk of injury. Staying strong is very beneficial as you get older, it may reduce frailty and can prolong independence.
Lack of exercise is a modern problem that links directly to the diseases we see today. Our modern lifestyles mean we are less active in our jobs and daily lives, and yet somehow also busier! It can be tough to fit in exercise but making the effort is worth it- both for the physical and mental health benefits.
With regular exercise, the risks of developing heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, some cancers including bowel and breast cancers, dementia, arthritis, falls and hip fractures is lowered. In terms of mental health, the research tells us that physical activity has a positive effect on self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy levels. It reduces the risk of stress and clinical depression. For something that is free and accessible to everybody, that’s pretty good!
So, we know the benefits of exercise are huge. Exercise helps people live longer. Most of us would benefit from trying to do a bit more. If you haven’t been used to exercising it can be quite daunting at first, but it is never too late to start! Getting out for a walk every day may be an excellent place to begin. Finding something that you enjoy doing regularly or combining exercise with social connections can really help to turn it into a regular habit.
The NHS website has some useful tips, videos and exercise plans to follow to get you started- it’s well worth a look at www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/.
