Following very aptly from the musculoskeletal learning page, lets talk about physical activity.
Physical activity is basically anything involving moving – not being sedentary (like sitting and watching tv or lying in bed).
The NHS advises the following for the average adult :
- to aim to be physically active every day
- to do strengthening activities that work all the major muscles at least 2 days a week
- to do at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity a week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity a week (75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity can give similar health benefits to 150 minutes of moderate intensity activity).
- to reduce time spent sitting or lying down and break up long periods of not moving with some activity
To achieve this, they say:
- do several short sessions of very vigorous intensity activity (running up and down the stairs)
- do a mix of moderate, vigorous and very vigorous intensity activity
It's medically proven that people who do regular physical activity have:
up to a 35% lower risk of coronary heart disease and stroke
up to a 50% lower risk of type 2 diabetes
up to a 50% lower risk of colon cancer
up to a 20% lower risk of breast cancer
a 30% lower risk of early death
up to an 83% lower risk of osteoarthritis
up to a 68% lower risk of hip fracture
a 30% lower risk of falls (among older adults)
up to a 30% lower risk of depression
up to a 30% lower risk of dementia
Being a mental health nurse, I am interested in the mental health benefits. Research shows that physical activity can also boost self-esteem, mood, sleep quality and energy, as well as reducing your risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
Regarding sleep, please see a previous post. What’s more, is that Nick Littlehales, an elite sports sleep coach, talks about exercise and sleep in his book. An Oregon state university found that the improvement of sleep quality from 150mins of moderate to vigorous activity per week was 65%! He says if you can’t get along with the gym, go outside and engage in other activities like yoga or cycling. He says recovering from exercise is vital, hydrate and fuel up. Try not to exercise too soon before bed or else you may be too alert to drop off.
Take a second to count how many minutes of exercise you are engaging with each week.
For me this week on:
Monday – 60 mins of yoga
Tuesday – nothing
Wednesday – 60 mins of yoga
Thursday – 60 mins of walking
Friday – 60 mins of yoga
Saturday – 30 mins run
Sunday – nothing
So even for someone that considers themselves ‘healthy’, I haven’t met the ideal of exercising every day, I could reduce the amount of time I am spent sat down/lying down and not much of my exercise is considered ‘vigorous’. If you are struggling to be the ‘ideal’, let go of the ideal it is likely to cause you more unhappiness. Instead, change one small thing you can change today.
Take this free easy quiz to see how things are going. If you are struggling with physical activity, this quiz will let you know how to reach your targets. Select here >>> https://www.nhs.uk/oneyou/how-are-you-quiz/
"If exercise were a pill, it would be one of the most cost-effective drugs ever invented," says Dr Nick Cavill, a health promotion consultant.
So, we know what physical activity is, we know the benefits physically and mentally, including the improvement in sleep and finally after thinking about how much activity you do each week, you can take the test and get some tips!
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/exercise/exercise-health-benefits/
Littlehales, N. (2016) Sleep. Penguin: Milton Keynes