Whatever your level of sport or activity it is vital to exercise and be active in general. Physical inactivity is the 4th biggest cause of global mortality and there is strong evidence that it causes more deaths than obesity, diabetes and smoking combined!
At PSM we therefore not only diagnose and manage injuries but also strongly promote physical activity in all age groups, across all abilities.
The evidence suggests that around 150 minutes of exercise a week should be our aim (that equates to 30 minutes on five days of the week). The exercise should be enough to get you feeling moderately out of breath and working hard. A variety of exercise can be done such walking, swimming, jogging and cycling.
For those who are not currently active it is fine to start slowly and gradually build up as your fitness improves. If you have any existing medical problems then of course check with your GP, but most of us can exercise and directly improve our health. Simple measures all add up, such as taking the stairs instead of the lift, walking to work and the shops. Instead of getting the tube, why not get off a stop or two early, or cycle?
Aside from exercise there is also evidence that avoiding too much sitting down is also important to improve our health, so we should aim for a generally active lifestyle in addition to the exercise. Read these handy 5 exercises you can do from your work to stay more active: A workout at work: 5 office exercises
Exercise reduces our risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, stroke, depression, osteoporosis and much more — get active and reduce all of these risks. If exercise was a pill, I suspect we would all be taking it to achieve these health gains!
All of our Specialist Sports Doctors can advise when needed to help you become more active.
Happy exercising…