Guest column: Rx for health: A daily dose of exercise!
Published 12:16 pm Wednesday, May 6, 2015
by Pauline Geraci
(May is Exercise is Medicine Month. Exercise is Medicine is a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity when designing treatment plans for patients.)
It is a solution to the greatest public health problem of the 21st century. It has been shown to help prevent and treat more than 40 chronic diseases. In the U.S., with alarming increases in chronic diseases and rising health care costs, many see the exercise as part of the solution. That philosophy is the seed for Exercise is Medicine (EIM) Month.
During May, communities throughout the U.S. will hold activities that recognize physical activity and exercise should be part of everyone’s health care plan. Since 2010, EIM Month has been proclaimed by mayors, governors, Congress and the President. Now the City of Sequim has declared May as EIM Month. Sequim is getting it and so are health advocates and public officials around the world, with growing movements on six continents.
EIM is a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine that is focused on encouraging primary care physicians and other health care providers to include physical activity when designing treatment plans for patients.
It also is encouraging exercise professionals to educate their clients about the benefits of becoming more active and in communicating how clients can speak with their primary care physicians about ways to increase their physical activity.
Physical activity is integral in the prevention and treatments of diseases and should be regularly assessed and “treated” as part of all medical care. EIM encourages primary care doctors write out prescriptions for exercise, not just drugs.
By the numbers
Although the benefits of exercise in preventing and controlling a number of diseases are well-known, about half of Americans report that they engage in at least the recommended 150 minutes a week of moderate aerobic activity. In addition, 76 percent did not meet recommendations for muscle-strengthening physical activity. A 2011 study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine found only about 10 percent of adults actually met recommended levels, though 62 percent reported they did.
A study in 2008 shows that physical inactivity costs the U.S. health care system $330 per person each year, which equals more than $102 billion annually. In addition, 40 percent of U.S. primary care doctors and 36 percent of U.S. medical students do not meet 2008 federal physical activity guidelines.
Physical inactivity is a fast-growing public health problem and contributes to a variety of chronic diseases and health problems including cancer, diabetes and obesity. According to the World Health Organization’s most recent Global Health Risks data (2004) after high blood pressure, tobacco use and high blood glucose, physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death globally.
Research shows that a low level of physical activity exposes a patient to a greater risk of dying than does smoking, obesity, hypertension or high cholesterol, and for older men, regular physical activity can decrease the risk of death by 40 percent. Active individuals in their 80s have a lower risk of death than inactive individuals in their 60s. Regular physical activity can:
• Reduce mortality and the risk of recurrent breast cancer by approximately 50 percent.
• Lower the risk of colon cancer by over 60 percent.
• Reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by approximately 40 percent.
• Reduce the incidence of heart disease and high blood pressure by approximately 40 percent.
• Lower the risk of stroke by 27 percent.
• Lower the risk of developing type II diabetes by 58 percent.
• Be twice as effective in treating type II diabetes as the standard insulin prescription and can save $2,250 per person per year when compared to the cost of standard drug treatment.
• Can decrease depression as effectively as Prozac or behavioral therapy.
• Adults with better muscle strength have a 20 percent lower risk of mortality (33 percent lower risk of cancer specific mortality) than adults with low muscle strength.
• A low level of fitness is a bigger risk factor for mortality than mild-moderate obesity. It is better to be fit and overweight than unfit with a lower percentage of body fat.
• Regular physical activity has been shown to lead to higher SAT scores for adolescents.
• In an elementary school setting, regular physical activity can decrease discipline incidents involving violence by 59 percent and decrease out of school suspensions by 67 percent.
Get moving
So what can you do this month? There are countless physical activities out there, but there is one simple activity that has so many benefits! It’s not a new fad with a fancy name; it’s walking.
Of all the physical activities that you can engage in, walking has the lowest dropout rate of them all! It’s the simplest positive change you can make to effectively improve your heart health. Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine during fifth century Athens, said, “Walking is man’s best medicine.”
In research from the Norwich Medical School at the University of East Anglia in Norwich, England, risk of stroke, coronary heart disease, depression and other life-threatening conditions can be reduced through regular outdoor walking, especially group walking.
According to the data, regular participation in a group walking program offers many benefits.
“Statistically significant improvements were found in a range of widely used health measures: systolic and diastolic blood pressure resting heart rate, body fat, BMI, total cholesterol, VO2max, depression, 6-minute walk time, and quality of life for physical functioning,” the authors explained. Researchers also found that walking is a cost-effective and low-risk way of improving overall health.
The researchers also suggested that doctors should prescribe that patients join a walking group for added health benefits.
Exercise, especially walking, is indeed medicine!
Pauline Geraci is owner of Fit4Life Studio in Sequim. Reach her at columnists@sequimgazette.com.
