Be Active Your Way Blog - Exercise is Medicine

Engaging Communities in Fitness: A Range of Options

JPivarnik — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 09:30:00 -0400

One measure of the richness of any community is its diversity. Variety of geography, age, ethnicity, culture and other traits is at the heart of American life and values.

As diverse as we are, though, and as differently as we choose to live, we have much in common. Deeply rooted in our shared, human physiology, for example, is the need to move. We all benefit from physical activity and exercise. Whether in a schoolyard or a nursing home, condo or campground, in the pink of health or post-chemo, the power of exercise can help us keep healthy or recover. The research is unmistakable, but more compelling for most people is the empirical evidence - how good they feel when they get regular exercise for recreation and as part of daily living.

But, how to get everyone to understand the need to be physically active? How to ensure they have ample opportunities to exercise, and how to motivate them to do it? The answers, fortunately, are as diverse as our communities themselves. I was reminded of this on May 31, when we kicked off the second World Congress on Exercise is Medicine with a community walk in Denver. Everyone - from schoolkids to the Senator to the "Biggest Loser" star - had a great time, and finished the walk just a bit healthier than before.

Just move!

At heart, physical activity is about movement. As two-legged creatures, we are made to walk. The setting may be a mall, trail, sidewalk or office park. No gym membership or special equipment needed; shoes are optional but recommended. The pace may be slower in the retirement home than the high school, but the benefits are just as real. Accumulating daily steps toward the Federal Physical Activity Guidelines is a big contribution toward better health for all. We should share the Guidelines widely and help people find ways to meet them.

But, walking isn't everyone's cup of tea, and it isn't enough for some. Communities with plenty of parks and playgrounds, sports leagues for all and safe, walkable neighborhoods have a leg up and tend to measure better on the ACSM American Fitness Index.

The "Law and Order" Principle

Crime shows tell us the perpetrator needs motive, means and opportunity. Same for exercise: We need to tell our diverse communities why they should be physically active; provide a variety of ways for them to enjoy activity, and help them fit it into daily life. If a personal trainer is too costly, let's offer free or low-cost classes at community centers. When it's too cold to jog, open a skating rink. Those who aren't up to running the mini-marathon can do the 5K family walk.

When the community's health is a priority, people find ways to encourage healthy lifestyles. The challenge is for each of us - government, businesses, nonprofits and community groups of every stripe - to find what works for us and then make it happen.

What can you do to foster active lifestyles in your community?

May is Physical Activity Month: Here's Why and How

JPivarnik — Wed, 04 May 2011 09:39:00 -0400

Smiles abound in the Midwest and throughout the country as things green up and warm up outdoors. Warm weather invites people to be more active, delighting in options that winter weather doesn't afford. While playing and moving outside are enjoyable in themselves, recent research gives even more reasons. Here's a glimpse of what participants learned from the many topics covered at the recent ACSM Health & Fitness Summit & Exposition. You might keep these in mind as you make plans to enjoy May, with the complementary themes of Physical Activity Month and Exercise is Medicine Month.

Sitting still is hazardous to your health

The new science of sedentary behavior, or "inactivity physiology," provides sobering evidence that merely sitting can be hazardous to your health. Len Kravitz, Ph.D., reported on research by Dr. Steven Blair and others, showing that adults and children who spend 70 percent or more of each waking day working at a desk, riding in a car, watching TV or working at a computer are particularly at risk. He explained that sitting results in dramatic drops in lipoprotein lipase, which captures fat from blood and uses it as fuel. This leads to soaring levels of triglycerides, elevated risk of cardiovascular disease and lower levels of good cholesterol. I've seen how exercise improves all those conditions in my patients.

"Miracle-Gro for the brain"

Many of us love to garden, whether for exercise, aesthetics or nutrition. At the summit, Dr. Terry Eckmann appealed to that interest with a vivid simile for the boost that exercise gives to cognitive functioning, saying it's "like Miracle-Gro for the brain." A protein known as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is behind the phenomenon. BDNF increases the growth of brain cells and improves brain functioning. The brain uses about 20 percent of the body's supplies of oxygen and glucose, and exercise boosts the cardiovascular system's ability to deliver them.

Worksite wellness pays off

Employers must tend to the bottom line. Those who implement worksite wellness programs are seeing healthy returns in terms of dollars saved, worker productivity, reduced absenteeism, and other measures. George J. Pfeiffer, president of the WorkCare Group, said most companies see a net return on investment in three to five years. For some, the ROI is as high as six-to-one. Pfeiffer and other panelists reviewed case studies from Target, Chevron, Northrop Grumman and Clark Security Products. Their key suggestions include:

Value worksite wellness. Understand and communicate all the benefits of worksite wellness - financial and otherwise.
Communicate a culture of health. Using formal and informal communication channels, develop a transparent brand for your health management strategy. Focus on vitality and well-being.
Engage your organization from the top down and from the bottom up. Encourage employee engagement by getting buy-in from top and middle management. Also allow for employee volunteers to be your wellness champions within the company.

How can you observe Physical Activity Month at home, at work and elsewhere?

Resource: International Association for Worksite Health Promotion

Physical Activity in Healthy People 2020

SLier — Mon, 11 Apr 2011 11:58:00 -0400

Written by Janet Fulton, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

How were the physical activity objectives developed?

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in partnership with the President's Council on Fitness, Sports and Nutrition worked with a team of federal agency representatives to formulate the objectives for the physical activity topic area. The availability of recent and ongoing nationally-representative data were a necessary requirement for inclusion of an objective; public comments provided further guidance for the final objectives. The Healthy People 2020 default method (10% relative beneficial change) was most commonly used to set the target for each objective.

What's new for Healthy People 2020?

The 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans provided an evidence-based framework by which the Healthy People 2020 physical activity behavioral objectives were revised. For adults and youth, objectives PA-2 and PA-3 are now consistent with the Guidelines. Because aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities are BOTH required to fully meet the Guidelines, sub-objectives for youth and adults that combine aerobic and muscle-strenghtening activities are now included.

School-based physical activity is reflected in modified objectives for physical education (PA-4 and PA-5) and in two new objectives for elementary school recess (PA-6 and PA-7). More than 60% of pre-school

children attend child care. Therefore, enacting policies that require physical activity in the child care setting (PA-9) is a strategy to modify the physical activity environment for children. Given the ubiquitous role screen time plays in society, the modified objective for youth to reduce screen time through telelvision viewing and computer use (PA-8) is an increasingly important goal.

A new objective for Healthy People 2020 (PA-11) will monitor physician counseling about exercise. Given the recent emphasis on physician counseling about physical activity by the American College of Sports Medicine's Exercise is Medicine program, it is timely that physical activity guidance in the health care setting is tracked at the national level.

Where do we go from here?

With less than 20% of adults meeting the Guidelines for aerobic and muscle strengthening activities and a similarly low percentage of youth meeting the Guidelines for aerobic physical activities, a multidisciplinary approach is needed to facilitate improvements in recommended levels of physical activity.

The importance of having reliable, nationally-representative data sources to track the metrics associated with physical activity cannot be overstated. Important and novel topics were discussed by the Work Group, only to learn that a suitable data source was unavailable. For example, improving the environment for physical activity is a recommended strategy, although there is no acceptable national data source that tracks individual access to green spaces or parks. The same is true for physical activity in the work place. It is imperative to continue support of current Healthy People 2020 data sources and to support future collection of strategic priority topic areas for physical activity promotion.

It is our hope that as these Healthy People objectives disseminate across states and into the schools, businesses, and organizations that make up our communities, there will be an interest in working across sectors to affect real change in physical activity behaviors. The National Physical Activity Plan provides an excellent multi-sectoral framework along with strategies and specific tactics for action. Time and again the health benefits of physical activity have been well documented. Let's work together to move the dial on physical activity this decade!

Exercise as Prevention

JPivarnik — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 10:05:00 -0400

As Congress wrestles with complex, contentious issues of health care reform, I’d like to propose a step anyone can take to improve health and likely cut health care costs. This isn’t a legislative bombshell—I’ll leave that for the politicians. And it isn’t a new idea, though research keeps adding to the body of supporting evidence. Let me help you make the case for physical activity.

It’s not about exercising for weight loss, though most people know there’s a connection. Simply put, I’m advocating physical activity for health. Exercise repeatedly has been shown to help prevent chronic diseases such as diabetes, overweight and obesity, osteoporosis, coronary heart disease, hypertension, depression and anxiety, and even some forms of cancer. Surely, if there were a pill with all these benefits (along with some very pleasant side effects), everybody would ask to have it prescribed.

Truly, exercise IS medicine, and it’s readily available to everyone. Very little is required to get started: a pair of walking shoes, or maybe a jump-rope. Playing with your children is free of charge. (I highly recommend it, and I don’t even know your kids.) People of any physical condition can become more active and start feeling better. No prescription is needed, though more and more physicians are calling for specific doses of exercise for their patients.

On the job and active

Employers, squeezed ‘til it hurts by soaring costs, have found that it pays to encourage employees to be physically active. Published reports on workplace wellness programs show that cost savings for every dollar invested range from $2.90 (Prudential Insurance) to $5.96 (Bank of America). DuPont reported a 14-percent decline in absent days among blue-collar workers. Pacific Bell’s FitWorks program saved $2 million and $4.7 million in short-term disability costs in just one year.

Workplace wellness programs bring other benefits, too. Fit Swedish workers committed 27 percent fewer errors on tasks involving concentration and short-term memory, and a Canadian program found that 47 percent of employee wellness program participants felt more alert, had better rapport with co-workers, and generally enjoyed their work more.

Bottom line

Sure, it’s great to save those dollars—particularly nowadays—but the total benefits are incalculable. What price can you put on feeling better, living longer, or avoiding a debilitating illness? Think about ramping up your level of physical activity, and bring someone along with you. If you need help getting started, you’ll find plenty of resources on the Exercise is Medicine website.

It may take Congress a while yet to figure out health care reform. Meanwhile, I vote for healthy lifestyles as prevention. All in favor? Please share your organization’s perspectives on exercise as medicine.

What is your organization's perspective and involvement in the topic of exercise as prevention?