What you do everyday is... exercise
Hey everyone! My name is Rahul and I’m the new exercise coach here at Mindful Medicine. I thought I’d introduce myself this month by creating my very first blog!
Okay, without further ado let’s dive right into physical activity.
So, what is physical activity?
Well, “physical activity is any body movement that works your muscles and requires more energy than resting” (NHLBI.NIH.gov/health-topics/topics/phys)
Some traditional examples for physical activities are walking, jogging, running and even gardening.
But let’s rewind a little bit, “requires more energy than resting”… and that’s exactly what we don’t realize – activities we do in our daily lives can count as being physically active!
Our Activities of Daily Living (ADL’s) such as eating, bathing, dressing, toileting, moving positons and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADL’s) such as shopping, cooking, housework, managing finances, etc. can count as being physically active!
And this brings us to our second question –
What is physical inactivity?
Physical inactivity is a term used to identify people who do not get their recommended level of daily physical activity. According to the World Health Organization, physical inactivity has been identified as the 4th leading risk factor for global mortality. Furthermore, it states that physical inactivitiy is estimated to be the main cause for approx. 21-25% of breast and colon cancer, 27% of diabetes and approx. 30% ischemic heart disease burden!
The numbers are scary aren’t they?
Christine et al, conducted an analysis combining multiple research studies which was then posted by the Canadian Medical Association. The analysis concluded that there is (as expected) a structural and functional decline as one ages, negatively effecting one’s ability to carry out ADL’s and IADL’s.
And this loss of ADL ability is associated with a poorer quality of life.
Kind of upsetting to think about right? But here’s some good news!
The analysis also showed that physical activity has positive effects on older adult’s abilities to perform ADL’s and it improves outcomes related to physical activities such muscle, strength, mobility, flexibility, balance, cognitive function and reduced risk of falls!
Definitely, a sense of relief!
Okay but here’s the deal, something we lightly touched on earlier, your activities of daily living can be converted into physical activity. So… by doing what you do every day, right – you’ll be closer to achieving your daily physical activity requirements, in turn increasing your ability to perform ADL’s as you grow older!
If that’s not an amazing deal, I don’t know what is!
At mindful medicine we will work together to develop your goals and overcome your limitations as well as educate you about the right characteristics of physical activity that can improve your ADL’s as well as IADL’s to increase your efficiency and daily habits – and ultimately, improve your quality of life.
Sources:
WHO (who.int/dietphysicalactivity/pa/en)
To book a free 45 minute consult with me click this link! - https://www.mindfulmedicine.ca/online-booking
