Resolutions: Exercise - 16 February
Resolutions! Week 2 - Exercise
Why exercise?
1. Exercise improves your mood - physical activity of any sort releases chemicals in the brain called endorphins. These chemicals make you feel happy and relaxed. Exercise will also make you look and feel better, which will lead to improved confidence and self-esteem. Exercise can help prevent and treat depression.
2. Exercise will help with weight management - physical activity burns calories, so along with a healthy diet regular exercise will lead to weight loss. The more intense the activity, the more calories you will burn. Exercise has been shown to be an essential part of successful long-term weight management.
3. Exercise helps sleep - physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and achieve a better quality of sleep. A good sleep pattern will help boost your concentration and productivity levels, as well as your mood.
4. Exercise is an energy booster - lack of physical activity will leave you with little energy for daily activities. Regular exercise will help deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues, improving your entire cardiovascular system. If your heart and lungs are working more efficiently, you will have more energy to do the things you enjoy.
5. Exercise helps overcome a range of chronic diseases - regular activity will help prevent and manage high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, osteoporosis and certain types of cancer. It will help boost the levels of HDL ("good cholesterol") while decreasing the more harmful triglycerides.
6. Exercise can be fun! Involve the whanau, friends or colleagues, and find an activity you enjoy.
How to get started
If you are under 35 and in good physical health, you don't need to see a doctor before embarking on a new exercise regime.
However, if you are over 35 and have been sedentary for a long time; pregnant; or suffer from high BP, heart disease, dizzy spells, breathlessness (eg asthma), osteoporosis, arthritis or other joint problems, it is worth a visit to your doctor first. Your doctor will be able to advise you on what sort of exercise, at what intensity, you should be looking at.
An ideal weekly exercise regime should involve the following components:
1. Cardiovascular - this is the aerobic type of activity, that causes you to breathe faster and deeper, maximising the amount of oxygen in your blood. It includes any activity that causes a rise in your heart rate, eg fast walking, running, swimming, dancing. To work out your maximum heart rate take your age away from 220 (eg the maximum heart rate for a 40 year old is approx 180; for a 60 year old it is 160). When starting out on an exercise regime, aim to sustain your heart rate at about 60% of it's maximum rate for 15 - 20 minutes (ie 60/100 x 180 = 108 bpm for a 40 year old). When you are getting fitter, increase the heart rate up to 80% of your maximum rate, and try to sustain it for a little longer, perhaps 30 minutes at a time.
2. Muscle strength - this will help tone and strengthen your muscles, improving appearance but also protecting the joints themselves. This can be done by lifting small weights, push-ups, sit-ups and so on.
3. Stretching - flexibility is essential for improving the range of motion of joints, and promotes better posture. It can help prevent falls, improve balance and thus reduce fracture rates in the elderly. A few minutes of stretching should be done at the start and end of each exercise session to minimise the risk of injury. Activities like yoga and pilates are great for flexibility and relaxation, and will improve lung function too.
If this all sounds a little complicated, start slowly!
Aim for perhaps 10 minutes of exercise 3-4 times a week, with some basic stretches before and afterwards. Gradually increase this to 30-60 minutes of aerobic activity each session.
Try and get slightly out of breath as this will be improving your cardiovascular function.
Try and include some weight bearing exercise (eg walking, tennis, dancing) as this will help improve your bone density for the future.
Make sure you are doing something that you enjoy and is within your budget. You are much more likely to stick with it.
Start exercising and setting goals with a friend or family member. It makes it more enjoyable and you are less likely to pull out for fear of letting them down.
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Try and reduce the amount of time you spend each week sitting down, eg watching the television.
Increase activity in your daily life eg walking up stairs instead of using the lift, walking or biking home from work.
Where to get help
Your doctor will be able to offer advice and support, as well as information about local agencies. They can also write a Green Prescription if required - a prescription to encourage you to get more active. This will suggest what type of activity you might try, and can include follow-up phone calls or visits to help support and motivate you (see websites below). There is good scientific evidence that Green Prescriptions work.
The Active Families programme (also part of the Green Prescription) is available to families with children who are overweight or would benefit from being more active. It involves monthly visits for the whole family, with advice on healthy eating and activities that the family can do together.
The Push-Play project has resources, guidelines and ideas for different activities your kids can try at home - with numerous tips for indoor, outdoor, winter and summer activities. All free!
Talk to your local council, library or Citizens Advice Bureau - they should have information and resources for your area.
Websites
www.sparc.org.nz
(for Push Play advice)
www.moh.govt.nz (Green
Prescription information, Active Families and Activator
ideas)
www.sportwellington.org.nz
(Wellington's local sports info, including a great booklet called
"Fun for $5")
www.sportauckland.org.nz
www.sportotago.co.nz
www.ccc.govt.nz
(Christchurch's equivalent)
