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This months challenge to myself has been a good success I think.
- I have exercised much more.
- I have read about the benefits of exercise.
- I have discussed exercise with patients more frequently and have more information on hand for them.
My research was made very easy by the a new module appearing on the GP learning website. (This is an on-line resource for continuing medical education for GP's enrolled with the Australian College of GP's). The new module is entitled "Implementing Lifestyle Change" and there are a number of units about exercise and lots of links to great articles about the benefits of exercise and information on what is effective for encourage people to exercise more.
There are many benefits of physical activity. If you want to know more here are a couple of links to some good review articles:
http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_10_211105/bru10410_fm.html
Bruckner PD Brown WJ, "Is exercise good for you?" Medical Journal of Australia 2005; 183: 538-541
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/174/6/801
Warburton DER; Nicol CW; Bredin SSD, "Health benefits of physical activity: the evidence." Canadian Medical Association. Journal; Mar 14, 2006; 174, 6
I think this quote from the above article just about sums it up for those who want the short version:
"We confirm that there is irrefutable evidence of the effectiveness of regular physical activity in the primary and secondary prevention of several chronic diseases (e.g., cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, hypertension, obesity, depression and osteoporosis) and premature death."
Yes, I would like to avoid that long list of diseases, especially premature death!
It is important to note that in order to gain the health benefits of exercise it is recommended that you get at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week. Hmm, for me that means that my plan to keep exercising 3 days per week for the rest of the year may not be enough to gain the maximum benefit. The good news is though that my daily dose of exercise need only be "moderate" and for 30 minutes - ie I don't need to run 10km everyday to benefit.
The other thing that I found interesting is that people who engage in home based exercise programs are more likely to succeed (ie stick with it) long term than those who enroll in programs outside the home. So gardening, strenuous housework and walking the dog are probably better activities to plan for than joining a gym.
Well, time to go sweep and mop the kitchen floor I think. And I am sure I can find some other housework to make it up to 30 minutes for today. :)
2 comments:
Is house work really hard enough to get your heart beat up enough to actually burn fat??? i think I need a bigger floor!... well that is coming but for now perhaps I will need to sweep and mop twice, just to make sure I get the right amount of exercise!:) heehee...
I think I need to read up on that part about how to motivate people to exercise. That I think is the hardest thing becuase so much of it is in the persons state of mind.
Well, house work has to be pretty vigorous to count really.
The people who have the most to gain are those who currently do nothing. And for those people basically any activity is better than none.
But the studies seem to show that even if you are already active, increasing your exercise and have further health benefits.
As for motivation - that's a tough one. It seems to be relatively easy to start an exercise program, but it is sticking with it that is hard. I think I need to sign up for a half marathon at least twice per year. Personally it seems that my good intentions only translate into action when I actually have a goal/dead-line ahead!
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