Let’s Get Up and Get Moving
Let’s Get Up and Get Moving
Editor: A version of this article was published on 10/17/2017
D. S. Mitchell
No News
It’s no news that our society is becoming more sedentary and overweight. Many of us spend hours behind a desk at our jobs and then go home where we spend more hours watching TV and perusing the internet before falling into bed exhausted. We drive our cars to the McDonald’s drive thru, order our food and never even get out of our cars. We use our computers to shop, without ever leaving the house. With decreased activity people are increasingly complaining of posture related aches and pains, weight gain, depression, joint pain, anxiety, and low self-esteem.
Too Much
Just like we enjoy eating and drinking too much, we enjoy sitting and doing nothing too much. We are surrounded by cars, salty snacks, elevators and escalators, sugary drinks and fast foods. The problem has become serious enough that the World Health Organization has an agenda focused on encouraging physical activity. In other words folks, the world is experiencing a crisis in health, created by being inactive and being too fat for our own good.
Try Vigorous Movement
A “Black Dog Institute” of Australia, in a decades old study, found that 1-2 hours of exercise per week can prevent depression and suicide. In addition to improved mental health multiple world-wide studies have shown that vigorous movement can stave off heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, fatigue, diabetes, and even cancer.
“Sitting Disease”
Our country, and most of the industrialized economies are suffering from chronic “sitting”. Physical inactivity is one of the top 10 causes of disease and disability according to a recent UK government study, they in fact have diagnosed 1 in 6 deaths to “sitting disease” which is equal to the number of deaths related to smoking in the UK.
Neanderthal Mode
We were designed to be hunter-gatherers, moving all day, every day. While our minds are in the 21st century our bodies are still in Neanderthal mode. We were not built to sit in front of a TV or a computer, or a steering wheel. The decline in physical activity since the 1960’s is putting increased pressure on our strained health and social systems and the quality of life for individuals and families.
Raise the Heart Rate
Most experts recommend 30 minutes daily, five days a week. Walking, swimming, pool walking, pickle ball, or cycling; each is a good choice. The exercise should be enough to raise the heart rate, increase respirations, and cause a sense of warming.
Load Bearing Exercise
Most particularly for ageing women, experts recommend load bearing exercise. Load bearing exercises, work against gravity to stress your bones and promote strength. High impact activities include running, jumping, and dancing. Low impact options include brisk walking, hiking, and using an elliptical trainer. Resistance training with body weight (push-ups, squats) or external weights (dumbbells, machines) also counts, as does specific equipment like stair-climbing machines and jumping rope. These load bearing exercises should be done 2 days or more a week.
Protect Against Muscle Weakness and Bone Thinning
It is extremely important to senior women to protect against muscle weakness and bone thinning which cause fracture; Nanny’s well-know fractured hip. To incorporate load bearing into your everyday life, try taking the stairs, carrying groceries, or adding weight to a backpack during walks, digging in the garden, bicep curls. Most experts recommend: get out of the gym, it will be more enjoyable. We were not made to be inside. Get out into the neighborhood, meet your neighbors, enjoy a brief chat, smile and laugh.
Aerobic and Strengthening
Whatever our age, we need both strengthening and aerobic exercise. They say variety is the spice of life, and we should be doing different types of physical activity to keep us engaged. Boredom is the death knell for any exercise program.
Call it Living
I think we should stop calling it “exercise” and start calling it “living”. Living includes dancing, walking, gardening, biking, hiking, swimming, yoga, roller skating, and running. Do something physical. Get hot and sweaty for at least 10 minutes daily, keeping 150 minutes a week as your goal. It could mean the difference between being house bound or wheelchair bound, and walking that marathon on your 100th birthday.
Let’s Try it
According to physical fitness experts, happiness and good health is just a short walk around the neighborhood. Let’s try it.
