The American College of Sports Medicine has declared May 2010 to be the third annual “Exercise Is Medicine Month.” The ACSM is the premier organization for supporting scientific research into sports medicine, prevention and treatment of injuries, and the importance of physical condition as part of everyone’s health. It aims to help all Americans understand the importance of regular exercise in maintaining good health and preventing or delaying the onset of serious disease.
Regular exercise has been cited in decreased incidence of heart disease. Exercise lowers each of the following: low-density lipoprotein, or “bad” cholesterol, blood pressure, and resting heart rate. It also raises the level of high density lipoprotein, or “good” cholesterol.
The American Heart Association recommends using its “Life’s Simple 7” plan to assess fitness and overall prognosis for healthy and long life:
- Never smoked or quit more than a year ago.
- Body mass index, a measure based on weight and height, less than 25. (Try the online BMI calculator at www.nhlbisupport.com/bmi)
- Physical exercise—at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity each week.
- At least four key components of a healthy diet, such as fewer calories, more fruits and vegetables, and oily fish, such as salmon, four times a week.
- Total cholesterol lower than 200.
- Blood pressure below 120/80.
- Fasting blood sugar below 100.
While the last three tests need to be performed by a doctor, the others are pretty obvious ones to answer and account for.
Focusing on the exercise component, 150 minutes of moderate exercise each week is a pretty easy goal to achieve. Moderate exercise includes brisk walking, dancing, swimming, bike riding, and skating, even gardening or vigorous house cleaning. During moderate exercise you should feel your heart rate increase and may break a sweat, but you should be able to maintain a conversation during the workout. During vigorous exercise your heart rate and breathing increase more noticeably, and normal conversation becomes difficult to carry on. Additional information can be found at www.startwalkingnow.org, a public service website of the American Heart Association.
I have heard doctors say, “If exercise came in a pill, it would be prescribed for everyone.” Even ailments like the common cold can be improved by regular exercise. Dr. David Nieman, director of Appalachian State University’s Human Performance Lab conducted studies that followed healthy adults over three to four months to look at the effects exercise might have in preventing common respiratory ailments. His group found that people who walked briskly for 45 minutes, five days a week, had fewer and less severe upper respiratory tract infections, such as colds and flu. These subjects also reduced their number of sick days 25 to 50 percent, compared with sedentary control subjects.
The Arthritis Foundation is a national consortium of people who suffer from osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, and fibromyalgia, along with the physicians who treat them and scientists who study these diseases. Studies sponsored by this organization at Florida State University found that women with fibromyalgia who participated in strength training exercise twice a week for four months achieved a 39 percent decrease in pain, along with large increases in upper-and-lower-body strength. This organization recommends regular exercise for all arthritis patients, and offers specific guidance at www.arthritistoday.org/fitness.
Exercise also helps the body to regulate blood glucose levels, thereby decreasing the likelihood of developing Type II (adult onset) diabetes. People who already have this chronic disease are encouraged to view exercise as an essential part of their treatment. More information can be found at http://diabetes.webmd.com/guide/exercise-guidelines, or at www.cdc.gov/diabetes.
The connection between physical fitness and overall health is so strong that the ACSM is now calling on all primary care physicians to assess their patient’s fitness levels, along with weight, pulse, and blood pressure, during regular checkups. In fact, a recent study led by Dr. Donald Lloyd-Jones of Northwestern University showed that people who were physically fit in middle age would be twice as likely to see their 85th birthday as are people who were sedentary throughout middle age. Go to www.exerciseismedicine.org for detailed information about the benefits of exercise and how to start and maintain a personal exercise plan.
Be sure to consult your doctor before starting any fitness program. For more information visit http://sitzmarkfitness.health.officelive.com.