Exercise is Medicine


Exercise is Medicine®: A Global Health Initiative

The vision of Exercise is Medicine® (EIM), a global health initiative managed by the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM


Exercise provides both physical and mental benefits. Inactive people who start moving get the biggest benefits. Experts now say that any physical activity counts – even just a few minutes! Exercise in 2, 5, 10, or 20 minutes throughout your day. Every active minute adds up to better health. 

Inactivitynot getting enough physical activity can result in the same kinds of health problems caused by smoking and being overweight.

Moving more often: 

• Improves your mood and sleep; 

• Slows the effects of aging; 

• Lowers your risk of heart problems, high blood pressure, Type 2 diabetes and many kinds of cancer; 

• Helps maintain your immune system, which may help to lower risk of infection, lessen symptoms and speed recovery from various illnesses; 

• Helps keep your mind sharp as you get older and lowers your risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s; 

• Increases your energy and simply makes life better! 


Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. 


Where to Start

Start Simple 

Simply sit less and move around more. Walk to the mailbox. Walk the dog. Dance at your desk. Take the stairs. Find opportunities to move throughout the day. Find ways to add steps to your day.

Be Active with a Friend 

Do activities you enjoy and find a buddy at home or at work. Those who exercise with a friend tend to stick with it longer than those who go it alone. 

Check Your Health 

If you have health worries, talk with your health care provider before you start exercising. Muscle or joint problems?  Ask about doing physical therapy before beginning an exercise program. 

Motivation

Use a smartphone or activity tracker to measure your progress and stay motivated. Count your steps daily for the first week or two. Gradually build up to 7,500-10,000 steps each day. 

Stay safe and injury free: 

° Gradually increase your pace and time spent being active. Start low and go slow! 

° Start with light to medium effort.

° Warm up and cool down (easy pace) before and after exercise 

Regular Exercise

Being consistently active helps you to live longer, have a better quality of life, improve your mental health, and improve your self-image. 

You can make big improvements to your health and energy levels by making small and deliberate healthy lifestyle choices that involve moving more every day. Many people feel overwhelmed by the thought of changing their lives and starting a new routine to be more active, but there are only a few key tips to remember to be successful:

Emphasize fun. 

What is something you love? Whether that’s music, bird watching, spending time with friends, trampolines, or books, you can shape your activity plan around the things you love. Walk to and from a spot where you can listen to the birds every day; explore local libraries from top to bottom; take the stairs when you visit friends; take a dance class that incorporates music you love. 

Attach activity to habits.

Taking a walk after dinner is a time-honored way to get moving. What is something you do regularly? Whether it’s going to work, cooking dinner, getting the mail, or brushing your teeth, any habit can be an opportunity to move. Try doing a one-minute wall-sit every time you brush your teeth; or practice dance steps while cooking dinner; or lift your bag over your head every time you go into your house. Any routine behavior can have a small activity bonus built-in.

Involve others.

Chances are, your friends, family, and co-workers want to be more active, too. Set active living goals together, see if you can aim for incremental advancements and variety in your routines. You could walk an extra two miles a week—or three more flights of stairs. When you meet someone, who shares your activity goals, 

keep moving. Swap sitting at the coffeeshop for walks and go around the block while catching up.

Add Audio.

Most phones can play music or podcasts, so challenge yourself to walk for at least one song, or one podcast. Having pleasant audio input can make exercise more fun and rewarding.

Be inventive. 

Rather than thinking of movement as calisthenics or a workout, challenge yourself to be inventive with your active living. Do an extra lap around the grocery store. Stand while watching a television show, instead of sitting. At work, think about how you can add a few minutes of movement by parking further away, or getting off the bus early. Whenever you text someone, stretch one part of your body. When you open the door at home, do a little dance. When you talk on the phone, stand up for part of the call or go for a walk and cover some miles with company. 

“Lack of activity destroys the good condition of every human being, while movement and methodical physical exercise save it and preserve it.” 

— Plato

Be forgiving. 

If you have a sedentary day, let it go. Don’t overwork the next day or punish yourself—just try to be active every day! Encourage yourself the way you would encourage your best friend.  It is about progress, not perfection. 

Track your progress. 

Consider using a pedometer app on your phone or purchasing a simple pedometer and have fun with it. How many steps do you take on an average workday? How many do you take on the weekend? Striving for 10,000 steps a day is recommended. However, some are better than none. 

Daily movement reduces the risk of many health conditions— protect your health! If you already have a condition, movement reduces the symptoms. Research shows that movement helps with 

conditions across a broad range:

Many forms of cancer

Depression, stress, and anxiety

Cardiometabolic diseases including prediabetes, diabetes, 

hypertension, stroke

Musculoskeletal health, including osteoporosis and  

rheumatoid arthritis

Is it not having enough time to exercise your problem? Try HIIT, Learn more about HIIT here.  Try different types of exercise, doing the same thing over and over again can be boring. Try different types of exercise like biking, swimming, skiing in the winter, playing tennis, soccer, or basketball.

Start easy: If it’s been more than 12 weeks since you’ve worked out, you’ve lost much of your endurance and strength. Taking the time to gradually build them back up will help you avoid injury and make your workouts easier to stick with.  Start with a simple program, for example, 3 days of moderate cardio for 20-30 minutes and 1-2 days of basic strength training, adding intensity (frequency, sets, weights, etc.) as your body gets stronger.

Have you never exercise? Start 1-2 days of stretches and walking. You can also try yoga for beginners

Yoga: 

Or even just stretchers:

Be realistic: The key is to figure out how much time you really have (not how much you want to have or hope to have) and fit your workouts into that time, rather than trying to create more time for workouts. You don’t need an hour to get a great workout. The right exercises can make even 10 minutes count.

If You’re in Pain 

It’s hard enough getting through daily activities when you’re in pain, but thinking of adding exercise to the mix may be too much to bear. Whether it’s from soreness, an injury, lower back pain, arthritis, or headaches, you may be afraid to exercise, worried that you’ll be in more pain or make things worse.4 You should never work through pain during exercise, but exercise can actually help some conditions and, for others, there are ways to keep moving, even if you have to be creative.

Solution: See an Expert and Learn How to Work With and Around Your Pain

  1.  See a doctor: I’m always amazed how many of my clients walk around in pain, so used to it, they haven’t even considered going to a doctor. We often think there’s nothing a doctor can do for us and, for some, that may be the case. However, having a diagnosis can point you in the right direction to either heal your injury or find a way to work around it.5 If you know what movements and exercises to avoid and the ones that will help, you can build a framework of safe movements that will keep you active.
  2. Never work through the pain: Unless your doctor has told you to ignore it, never continue doing something that’s causing pain or making it worse. Sharp pains in the joints, swelling, pulled muscles, or pain that goes beyond the normal exertion of exercise are warning signs that something is wrong. We often keep going, thinking it will go away, but doing that can actually make things worse. At any suspicious pain, stop what you’re doing and either try something else or take a rest day to see how things feel.
  3. Find a way to work around the pain: Most of us can find some way to exercise, even with an injury or condition. Consider working with an experienced personal trainer or physical therapist to help you find ways to heal your injury while still staying in shape.6 Learn exercise for lower body injuriesknee pain exercisesexercises for lower back pain, exercise options for arthritis, and when to see a doctor for a running injury.

Be flexible. Consider what your body needs, rather than what your mind is telling you to do. An extra rest day, more time spent stretching, or lighter workouts may be enough to keep you moving without overdoing it.  Just doing one type of exercise may not be enough, we should all be doing four types of exercises.

Many of the suggestions above will need to be modified in the time of COVID -19, make sure to wear a breathable mask, stay six feet apart from others, and wash your hands often.

The most important take away, just start moving, any amount will help but the more constant you are the better your health will be.

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