Exercise: The Original Game Changer

We’ve heard the phrase ‘game changer’ being used quite a lot recently in relation to the prevention and treatment of COVID but there’s one game changer that we’ve known about for years but never really took much notice of or gave it enough credit and that game changer is exercise.

We all know that exercise is good for our physical and mental health but did you know that it can help reduce the risk of major illnesses, such as heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes and cancer by up to ‘50% and lower the risk of early death by up to 30%’.

Research has also shown that physical activity can have a huge impact on our mental health. Not only can it help boost our mood and give us more energy, it can help reduce the risk of stress, depression, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease.

So we have to ask ourselves if it’s that good for us why aren’t we doing more of it? Unlike prescriptions or gym memberships exercise doesn’t have to cost us a penny and in most cases we don’t even have to step outside our front door if we don’t want to.

The NHS recommends that we do at least 150 minutes (depending on age and health concerns) of moderate intensity activity per week or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity. 

150 minutes may seem like a lot but it’s essentially only 30 minutes a day, 5 times a week and 75 minutes of vigorous activity is less than 3 half hour HIIT sessions a week.

Now to the question of what is moderate intensity and what is vigorous intensity activity. The easiest way to explain moderate intensity activity is exercise that you can do and are still able to talk but not sing.  Your heart rate will increase and you’ll breathe faster and feel warmer so exercise like a brisk walk, riding a bike or water aerobics if you can get to a pool count as moderate activity. Whereas vigorous activity requires more effort and you’ll breathe faster still and will be less able to talk while exercising. Jogging, running, aerobics, playing sports and HIIT sessions count as vigorous activity.

While moderate and vigorous activity is important for our cardiovascular health we can’t underestimate the importance of strengthening exercises to strengthen our muscles. 

Strength training isn’t about lifting extreme weights like a bodybuilder, you can use light weights but you can also use your own bodyweight, for example sit ups and push ups require us to use our own body weight. Yoga, Pilates and Tai Chi are great activities to help strengthen your muscles as are exercises using resistance bands.

Strengthening exercises can be done alongside our moderate and vigorous activity or on rest days but not in place of these activities. Think of it as icing on the cake.

During the pandemic a lot of emphasis has been put on exercise and even through lockdown we were all encouraged to exercise and were even allowed to go out and exercise in parks and open spaces because the benefits to our physical and mental health were immense.

Staying active helps us to stay healthier and the healthier we are the more likely we are to be able to fight infections or recover quicker. Unlike years ago in our parents and grandparents generation where they hardly ever sat down we live a more sedentary lifestyle. We can spend literally all day sitting down whether it’s sitting at a desk for work or watching tv, playing computer games or being glued to our mobile devices. 

Exercise doesn’t have to be a chore or another thing to put on the to do list it can be fun and it can work around you not the other way around. Even if you’re just going for a walk or walking to the local shops instead of driving or you’re dancing along to your favourite track that’s a great start and sometimes starting is the hardest part.