By Michelle Guillemard. With my half marathon race in the Blackmores Sydney Running Festival only a matter of days away, exercise is taking over my life at the moment! Many of us would agree that exercise plays an important role in a healthy lifestyle, but some experts have taken this idea a step further. They believe that lack of exercise is a global epidemic and that exercise should be considered a form of medicine. Could exercise alone really be the remedy for the world’s escalating physical inactivity epidemic?
It sounds like a simple enough solution, and in fact, there’s a whole movement that backs up this theory, led by the American College of Sports Medicine. Exercise is Medicine (EIM) calls for physical activity levels to be a mandatory part of a regular check-up with a healthcare professional. EIM also believes exercise should play a central role in disease prevention and management, and this view is supported by the World Health Organisation (WHO).
According to the WHO, at least 60% of the global population doesn’t get the minimum recommendation of 30 minutes daily exercise. That’s three out of five people. Are you one of those three, or do you know someone who is? If you do, consider some of the additional benefits of physical activity the WHO has listed on their website: an improved social life, reduced traffic congestion and pollution, reduced violence, less healthcare costs, increased productivity and greater social interaction.
Let me throw another statistic at you. Globally, there are over 1 billion adults with a Body Mass Index (BMI) above 25 (BMIs of 25 to 30 are generally considered overweight). The driving forces behind all of this weight gain? Calorie intake and physical inactivity. That’s right - lack of exercise is a key source of power behind the burgeoning ‘globesity’ epidemic.
So that’s the solution – should we all just exercise? If it were that easy, I probably wouldn’t be sitting here writing this blog! There are many reasons why physical activity is neglected, and if this ‘epidemic’ is to be tackled at a global level, solutions need to work for everyone: busy mothers, young executives, people with injuries, shift workers and the elderly – to name a few. Not to mention those who just plain dislike exercising (I’m sure there are some of you out there!).
What’s clear to me, though, is that the importance of exercise shouldn’t be ignored. How can you fit more exercise into your routine? If you don’t get those 30 minutes each day, and it’s too difficult to fit them in to your schedule at the moment, consider some simple steps to make a gradual change. Take the stairs instead of the lift. Walk to the shops instead of driving. Walk to someone’s desk in the office instead of sending an email. Do some gentle stretching. Try it now. You’ve just spent a few minutes reading this – take a few more and make a positive change in your health today. And let me know how you go.
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