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Movement

Move itor lose it

_________With Angela Derks

The benefits of movement

I’m sure that you know that regular exercise can lead to improved fitness

and athletic performance, enhanced appearance and a heightened sense of

well-being.

More importantly, it can have a very powerful influence on our

physical and mental health and longevity. Research has shown

that integrating a combination of aerobic, anaerobic, resistance

and flexibility training can help prevent or reverse degenerative

diseases such as:

o Obesity

o Cardiovascular disease

o Diabetes

o Arthritis

o Osteoporosis

o Cancer

o Depression

o Alzheimers Disease

o Parkinson’s Disease

o Multiple Sclerosis

In Why Exercise: The Facts for a Healthy Lifestyle, Anthony Aurelius says that globally, scientists are

confirming that chronic degenerative disease is in fact related to lifestyle and environmental stress and

that healthy lifestyle changes can, in fact, reverse existing disease.

Anthony reinforces the overwhelming scientific evidence that supports the value of daily exercise and

the numerous benefits of staying physically active. Ongoing, regular physical activity will improve:

- Cardiovascular function

- Mobility and joint range-of-motion

- Preservation of muscular strength

- Quality of sleep

- Stress resilience

- Mood and energy

- Libido and sexual function

Despite the terms being used interchangeably these days,

there is a big difference between physical fitness and

physical activity.

The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) defines physical fitness as “The ability to carry out dailytasks with vigour and alertness, without undue fatigue, and with ample energy to enjoy leisure-time pursuits and respond to emergencies.

Physical fitness includes a number of components such as: cardiorespiratory endurance (aerobic power), skeletal muscle endurance, skeletal muscle strength, skeletal muscle power, flexibility, balance, speed of movement, reaction time, and body composition”.

Physical activity, on the other hand, is defined

by the CDC as “Any bodily movement produced

by the contraction of skeletal muscle that

increases energy expenditure above a basal

level. Physical activity generally refers to the

subset of physical activity that enhances health.”

Moving your body and expending energy,

whether it is via an increase in the level of

incidental exercise, or actively participating in

an exercise program, will have a positive impact

on your health.

If you want to achieve physical fitness, lose weight or meet specific body goals, you may need to ramp up your exercise efforts.

As mentioned in the definition of physical fitness previously, there are many aspects of physical

fitness and many different types of exercise that are designed to yield different results. There

are four main categories that exercise falls into: strength, endurance, balance and flexibility.

Some activities may fall into more than one category, for instance exercise that promotes your

strength can also improve your balance.

Resistance training is now widely accepted as a functional form of training. It involves exercises using your own bodyweight, free weights or weight training machines and can improve balance, speed, endurance and power. The aim of resistance training is to strengthen the entire body including the muscles, joints, tendons and ligaments.

Resistance training can be used to build strength and/ or endurance.

Muscular endurance refers to the ability to perform a movement for an

extended period of time, such as high repetitions of a resistance exercise.

Endurance or aerobic activities will help keep your cardiovascular and circulatory system healthy. Activities that involve continuous movements using your large muscle groups will increase your breathing and heartrate, such as cycling, swimming or jogging.

Flexibility will enhance the range of motion of your muscles and joints, keeping your body limber, while exercises that promote balance will help you to perform daily activities more easily, particularly as you age.

The ultimate goal of any good conditioning program should be to improve the function of your body and reinforce general wellness, and this includes your mental wellbeing.

In recent years, the fitness industry has started to move

towards more of a holistic approach to physical fitness, with

more emphasis on the mind-body connection, which is

highlighted by the surge in popularity of Yoga and Pilates.

Mindfulness has become a bit of a buzz word in recent times

and in today’s fast paced world, more and more people are

turning to mindful activities to help combat stress. Yoga and

Pilates are both founded on the principle of mindful

movement.

The creator of the Pilates Method, Joseph Pilates, boldly stated in his book

Return to Life Through Contrology that “Physical fitness is the first pre-

requisite of happiness.”

Joseph Pilates viewed physical fitness as the body being in a harmonious

state which was reflected in a coordinated and balanced unity of body, mind

and spirit. He wrote that the mind and the body are intricately linked and

that the condition of the body influences the state of the mind.

In Pilates Anatomy, the Pilates method is explained as being more than just a

random choice of particular movements. “Pilates is a system of physical and

mental conditioning that can enhance your physical strength, flexibility, and

coordination as well as reduce stress, improve mental focus and foster an

improved sense of well-being.”

Yoga also cultivates physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. Yoga is

characterised by the practice of postures and movement, with a profound

focus on breath awareness and breathing exercises, relaxation and

concentration, and meditation.

Movement in general promotes relaxation and the release of tension in the body, particularly when

there is a focus on breathing. This has never been more important than in today’s fast paced,

modern world, where the pressures of work and life seem to intensify year in and year out.

Joseph Pilates once said “A body free from nervous tension and fatigue is the ideal shelter provided

by nature for housing a well-balanced mind, fully capable of successfully meeting all the complex

problems of modern living.”

Whilst there are many exercise programs out there that still focus on pushing the body to its limit,

there has certainly been a shift towards nurturing the body rather than punishing it, at least within

the general population. Certainly, elite athletes that are training for a specific purpose, whether it to

be to increase strength, speed and endurance will push their bodies and will often train to complete

fatigue. This kind of exercise is not for everyone and it is important to find a physical activity that you

enjoy and that your body enjoys. Every little bit counts.

Movement and exercise, regardless of how you choose to approach it, should enrich your everyday

life.

Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you haven't exercised for a long time, have chronic health problems, such as heart disease, diabetes or arthritis, or you have any concerns.

The consequences of a lack of movement

Lack of movement has risen along with the rise of convenience. In today’s modern world, we have easy

access to everything we need, making physical activity largely optional. Compare a normal day in the

developed world to the lifestyle of the original hunter-gatherers; movement was imperative to their survival.

The hunter-gatherers had to hunt and forage for food, flee predators, defend resources, build shelters and

migrate over long distances. There were no cars or refrigerators to keep food fresh, so the simple act of

eating required physical activity with each meal having to be hunted or harvested.

The digital age has made life even more convenient than ever before, further increasing the incidence of

sedentary behaviours. We can now order take away foods via our smart phones, from local restaurants, to be

delivered straight to our front doors. We have created an environment that doesn’t have many forms of

physical activity that are necessary for our survival.

Sedentary Behaviour

So why is this such a problem? Sedentary behaviour requires little energy expenditure and is associated with poorer

health outcomes.

According to many scholarly articles and experts around the globe, physical inactivity is a primary cause of most

chronic diseases, and chronic diseases are major killers today.

Research shows that physical inactivity is a primary cause initiating 35 chronic conditions including: metabolic

syndrome, obesity, insulin resistance, prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, non-alcoholic liver disease, cardiovascular

diseases, cognitive functions and diseases, bone and connective tissue disorders, cancer, reproductive diseases, and

diseases of digestive tract, pulmonary, and kidney.

There is overwhelming evidence to support the fact

that the body rapidly maladapts to insufficient

physical activity, and if continued, results in

substantial decreases in both total and quality

years of life.

Lack of movement is linked to nearly 30% of all

deaths from heart disease, diabetes and colon

cancer. In fact, recent data estimates that physical

inactivity and poor diet will soon rank as the

leading causes of death in the western word.

Obesity

Obesity is a modern disease with both diet and lifestyle as contributing factors

and has become one of the biggest health problems in the developed world.

Here are some statistics from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.

• Almost 2 in 3 Australian adults (63%) are overweight or obese.

• 10% more adults are overweight or obese than in 1995.

• 1 in 4 Australian children (25%) are overweight or obese

• Overweight and obesity is the second highest contributor to burden of

disease, after dietary risks. Smoking is the third highest.

Our ancient ancestors consumed and expended the fuel they needed – they ate

to survive and they burnt off those calories by moving their bodies the way they

were designed to move.

We could learn a lot by looking back at how our forefathers lived.

NEXT SESSION?

Steps to move more each day

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