Did you know that in 2022, 38% of Australians had 2 or more chronic health conditions and these chronic conditions contributed to 9 in 10 deaths in Australia [1]. The most prevalent chronic health conditions are arthritis; asthma; diabetes; back problems; heart, stroke and vascular disease; dementia; osteoporosis; cancer; and mental health conditions.
Yet pretty much all of these conditions benefit greatly from some type of exercise, and many from aerobic exercise. What is aerobic exercise I hear some of you say?
Aerobic exercise may be defined as any form of exercise that uses large muscle groups, is maintained continuously and is rhythmic in nature [2]. Think normal person activity, we are talking about walking, cycling, jogging, dancing, swimming. Think the Olympics because they are currently happening as I write this blog and we are talking about the marathon, team sports like water polo, road racing, the triathlon, sailing, you get the idea. Anything that takes a while to complete is aerobic. For example, the 100m sprint, not so much, that’s anaerobic (e.g. short, fast, high-intensity) exercise, rather than aerobic exercise.
Do you know the major health benefits of aerobic exercise?
1) Combined with strength training and a healthy diet it can help you to maintain a healthy weight, which has flow on effects in avoiding things like type 2 diabetes and reduces the strain on our joints.
2) It reduces or helps you manage a number of chronic conditions such as lowers blood pressure, controls blood sugars, reduces likelihood of heart disease, stroke, some cancers and lowers your risk of osteoporosis.
3) Aerobic exercise and any type of movement is really showing high success for people living with pain, particularly back problems. Gone are the days of lying on the couch resting if you’re in pain, hoping it gets better on its own or tightening your back muscles like you are wearing a brace. Research is showing movement is important for improving back issues[3] and it is also important for improving pain levels in general, but you need to do it for a consistent period of time to see positive results.
4) Improves quality of life for everyone, particularly people who are being treated for cancer.
5) Improves your fitness, endurance and strength, so you can do what you want for longer and it takes more time to get tired. Think holidays abroad, you can walk 30,000 steps a day instead of 10,000 steps and see so much more in every day.
6) It strengthens your heart too, improves blood flow meaning less pressure on your heart and body, it also keeps your arteries clearer, which helps with maintaining healthy cholesterol levels.
7) It also improves our mood, it can help ease depression, reduce anxiety and help you to relax.
8) It is beneficial for cognitive health, will reduce your risk of dementia, improve your memory and thinking, because it supports blood flow and oxygen to the brain.
If you can relate to any of these things; perhaps you are in pain at times, you struggle walking around new cities when on holidays, are worried about getting dementia, are not feeling as great about life as you once were. The time is now to start your aerobic exercise journey.
Ask yourself, what do you like doing? Walking on the beach at sunset, bushwalking in the hills, cycling on bike paths round the river, or swimming in the ocean or local pool. It doesn’t matter what it is that you like, it might be a combination of all of those things, but it is important to make sure you are doing it consistently. This means at least 30 minutes every day, if you can do more on some days, absolutely brilliant. Think of how much your body is going to thank you.
A participant in one of my research projects knew exercise was good for them but they just didn’t do it for whatever reason. They did however sign up for one of my studies and at the end of the 12-week study this was a comment they gave me:
“I have known that in theory [aerobic exercise is good for me] but actually seeing the benefits is quite an eye opener for me because it is like ok, I’ll keep up with this.”
My usual to begin with: If you are doing a lot of aerobic exercise already (300+ minutes per week where your heart is pumping at least a bit, having a stroll is not included) have no chronic conditions then simply keep doing what you are doing
Find something you enjoy and try that first
Start today, tomorrow never comes
Be active with a friend, partner or group, it is more fun doing it together
If you do suffer pain start slowly and build up. A lot of knee pain is due to poor muscle strength in the quadriceps, yet we don’t look at building this up, we just stop doing things when we feel pain
If you have been doing the same thing for a while, change it up. Your body and mind will thank you
Your local recreation centre may have some programs that you enjoy, it’s worth dropping in to see what they can offer
If you like to walk, add some hills in, this is great additional training and again it’s free
No time usually means you are not prioritising it. My bet is you are watching TV or on social media or sitting around everyday for at least 30 minutes. If you change it up during this time and add in some aerobic exercise it will be amazing how much better, you will start to feel
If you like walking dogs but don't want your own, consider joining somewhere like POOPS WA it is a great way to help others and get your aerobic exercise up
If you’ve got kids or grandkids, nieces and nephews, get them involved too, kids need to be even more active than you and you’re spending time together building memories. It’s what life is all about.
I will be away from work in September so no blog from me next month. See you in October.
Live the good life!
References
1. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Chronic Disease. 2024 [cited 2024 9 August 2024]; Available from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/reports-data/health-conditions-disability-deaths/chronic-disease/overview.
2. Wahid, A., et al., Quantifying the association between physical activity and cardiovascular disease and diabetes: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of the American Heart Association, 2016. 5(9).
3. Kent, P., et al., Cognitive functional therapy with or without movement sensor biofeedback versus usual care for chronic, disabling low back pain (RESTORE): A randomised, controlled, three-arm, parallel group, phase 3, clinical trial. Lancet, 2023. 401: p. 1866-1877.
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