Each year about 1.9-million people die as a direct result of physical inactivity. The World Health Organisation estimates that if an adult does just 30 minutes of moderate activity five days a week, he or she can reduce the risk of contracting non-communicable diseases, such as colon cancer, Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Moderate exercise can have a positive effect on osteoporosis, hypertension, body weight and mental health, includinng anxiety. May 10 marked World Move for Health Day, aimed at raising awareness of the importance and benefits of exercise for both body and mind.
“There is really no need to join a gym or invest in expensive exercise equipment,” says Thomas Sticht, a personal trainer from Johannesburg. “A lack of time is no excuse. Thirty minutes of exercise can be split up throughout the day and does not have to be done all at once.”
Here’s how you can maintain a healthy lifestyle through simple exercises.
Walking
Walking is the simplest, cheapest and easiest form of cardiovascular exercise and is ideal for anyone who is starting to exercise.
Jogging
Jogging is harder and puts more stress on the body, but it tones your muscles, relieves stress and improves your lung capacity.
Cycling
Bike riding exercises the body and builds a stronger cardiovascular system. You can enjoy nature, fresh air and explore your surroundings. It is an activity the whole family can share.
If you incorporate some form of physical activity into your daily routine, it soon becomes habit.
Walk up stairs instead of taking the lift. Carry heavy goods – such as books and groceries – to complement your exercise.
“And, if you’re serious about maintaining a healthy fitness level, take up a sport you enjoy or join a gym or running club,” says Sticht.
What will exercise do for your health?
Lower your risk of coronary heart disease and stroke: as little as 15km to 18km of walking each week can decrease your risk of heart disease by half.
Decrease your risk of high blood pressure: as you get older, you are at greater risk of a raised blood pressure. Regular physical activity can help to prevent this.
Improve your blood lipid profile. Exercise helps to increase the HDL (good cholesterol, which protects your heart) by up to 20% and it decreases the LDL (bad cholesterol, which clogs up your arteries) and triglycerides (fats in the blood that are a health risk, if elevated).
Lower your risk of breast and colon cancer. Research shows that more than half of cancers can be prevented if we make healthy lifestyle choices, which include not smoking, healthy dietary habits and regular physical inactivity.
Decrease your risk of Type 2 diabetes (adult-onset): excess abdominal fat and inactivity can promote adult-onset diabetes, which plagues four million South Africans. Weight loss and regular exercise increase insulin sensitivity, decreasing your risk for diabetes.
Improve your bone density and decrease the risk of osteoporosis: one in two women and one in eight men aged 50 and over will have an osteoporosis-related fracture in their lifetime.
Improve long-term weight control: 56% of South African women and 29% of men are overweight. Exercise raises your metabolic rate, the rate at which food energy is burned, so less fat is stored. Extra muscle mass from regular exercise increases your metabolic rate at rest and during exercise (muscle tissue burns up more energy than fat).
Improve your mental alertness.
Improve your psychological wellbeing: exercise improves your sense of wellbeing, vigour and vitality and decreases stress.
Cut your medical costs. — Sports Science Institute of South Africa