Move for Health

Today's post regards physical activity. In order to achieve maximum health and reduce the chance of being diagnosed with a chronic disease, there are three very important measures of which you have control.
Weight
Physical Activity
Tobacco

This week we have heard a lot about the annual cost of treating the consequences of obesity in the USA. In 2004 the World Health Organization presented and disseminated a Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. From their website I report some facts.
Globally;

• nearly 2 million people a year die because they are not active enough
• doing regular, moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes 5 days a week, will reduce the risk of many chronic diseases... more minutes more days is better still
• just being inactive can cause a disease, such as heart disease and diabetes.. all by itself, inactivity is a risk factor
• being physically active five days a week can reduce the risk of the illnesses below:

cardiovascular disease
stroke
type II diabetes
colon cancer and
breast cancer

• regular physical activity will have a positive effect on the conditions below by reducing them, eliminating them, or improving treatment of them:

hypertension
osteoporosis and falls risk
body weight and composition
musculoskeletal conditions such as osteoarthritis and low back pain
mental and psychological health by reducing depression, anxiety and stress
control over risky behaviours particularly among children and young people (e.g. tobacco use, alcohol / substance use, unhealthy diet and violence)

I recall from my time at the Cooper Institute that there is a level of physical activity that reduces disease risk and then there is the level that promotes cardiorespiratory or cardiovascular fitness. So it would behoove you to do any amount of physical activity that you can while it would elevate you to do vigorous activity many days of the week.

I chose today to talk about physical activity because yesterday I passed an exam for an American College of Sports Medicine certification. I am now able to call myself a Physical Activity in Public Health Specialist. I have personal training certifications (not currently active) that came with good training programs, but I do think that the ACSM is a gold standard and I am pleased to have this new credential.

I also made a new youtube video today that is NOT a PSA or a cooking video but a demo tape of two exercises. Check it out here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vLCf07SIx8

Now the WHO said that its member states would sponsor a Move for Health day every year but I have not heard of one yet. I say that every day should be a move for health day. Also, I learned yesterday that there are 4 domains of physical activity and thus four areas of your life to which you can add movement, they are:
At work (whether or not the work involves manual labour)
For transport (walking or cycling to work, to shop etc)
During domestic duties (housework, gathering fuel etc)
In leisure time (sports and recreational activities)

And with that, I better get moving :)