Thursday, February 17, 2011

MYTHS ABOUT EXERCISE


Each year 1.9 million people die because they are not active enough. It’s a sobering statistic; especially when it’s so easy to do something about it.

Many people don’t realise the health benefits that are afforded by being more active: Physical activity lowers the risk of coronary heart disease, typeII diabetes, breast and colon cancer and osteoporosis. People who are active are less likely to be overweight and more likely to live longer, and being active means you are less likely to suffer from conditions such as anxiety and depression.

There are many excuses for sitting on the couch. The most common one is that people don’t have time to exercise. The reality is that you can’t afford not to devote time to exercise because it has such an impact on general health and well-being.

The World Health Organization recommends minimum 30 minutes of moderate exercise at least five times a week. Moderate intensity exercise means pushing yourself slightly–such as a brisk walk, swimming laps or cycling. And you don’t need to do it all at once–shorter spurts of activity spaced throughout the day add up, so a brisk 15minutewalkduring your lunch break, 10minutes of housework and five minutes walking up and down the stairs during the day will all add up to the 30-minute recommendation. For schoolchildren, the recommendation is 60 minutes a day.

Myth: I don’t have enough time to exercise

Fact: You can’t afford not to allocate the time. Being active will improve your fitness levels, reduce your risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer and help keep your mind active and alert. Smaller bouts of exercise add up to the sum total, so try to be more active in everything you do. Walk that two blocks rather than jump in a taxi; make it a habit to take the stairs rather than the lift or escalator; take a walk to get your lunch rather than drive out or have it delivered to the office.

Myth: You need special clothing and equipment

Fact: This is just not true. Walking can be done almost anywhere, anytime and it doesn’t require any special clothing. For many activities, you can just wear loose comfortable clothing.

Myth: You only need to exercise if you are overweight

Fact: While it’s true that being active will help you lose weight if you need to, or maintain weight, even people who are slim need to exercise to reduce their risk of disease and to boost their mood and sense of well-being.

Myth: Children are active enough already

Fact: Research undertaken by Asian Food Information Centre in four urban Asian cities in 2004 found that children listed television and computer time as some of their favourite leisure activities, with many children spending two to three hours a day in front of a screen. Parents need to encourage children to be more active. Take a family walk or bike ride; learn a new activity such as roller-blading together or take time to watch children at their favourite sports activities.

Source: Asian FoodInformation Centre, May 7,2008

HeartTalk Issue 4

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