Physical inactivity is killing us – with a new report showing it’s the fourth leading risk of deaths globally, driving up to 25% of breast and colon cancers, 27% of diabetes and 30% of heart disease.
Data shows 3 in 4 don’t meet minimum physical activity guidelines, fuelling 20% of preventable disease and early death, while physical inactivity costs the Australian economy up to $15 billion annually in lost productivity.
They are numbers which tell a harrowing story about how we live, according to a local associate professor.
“We are not paying attention to exercise and physical activity as we should be. I think most of us are taking it as a leisure, not as a preventative,” Professor George Albert said.
“If you look at some studies on problems for instance, in Australia one of the main problems in it is sedentary lifestyle, not being able to exercise”
Professor Albert insists exercise is a must as we age.
“It’s not just a preventative, it’s a treatment. So when we look at that in Australia, actually, we’re not paying much more attention to this as a part of living healthier and then being healthier.
“Problem is when we grow older we should exercise more and eat less. We do the opposite, most of us do the opposite.”
The data has prompted the launch of Million Moves – a free three-week public health challenge launching Monday, and funded by the Department of Creative Industries, Tourism and Sport.
“It’s about getting the community to move and not really to overload them with the with the exercises that they have to do, but ones they can do that in their offices, all their homes.
“Simple things like stretching, running to a place, doing some push-ups on the desk or the table, simple things like that to minimise it – but they still can’t get the results with.
“It’s to simplify the exercises, but to get the message out there and for people to start moving more.”
Professor Albert has stern advice on minimum activity levels, if we want to live healthier lives and age better.
“Do half an hour of moderate intensity exercise, something that makes you ‘puff’.
“It’s not just a walk or a stroll in the park, it’s just something to raise up your heart rate, make you ‘huff and puff’
“A brisk walk, jogging, swimming, bike riding – do it 30 minutes at least, the minimum, four times a week
“If you can’t go for exercise, park your car away and walk. Don’t look for the nearest car spots next to the shopping. Go away and walk, take the stairs. They’ll escalate the lift so there is incidental exercising like this.
“There’s regular exercising which we need to do, (mixing) their regular exercising and the incidental exercising is a bonus
“Exercising is not a thing that we should do if we feel like it. It’s a treatment, it’s a preventative. You do it to get better, to live healthier.
“Older people and with people with chronic diseases need to stop deconditioning, (which) means that the muscles get weaker, the body gets weaker.
“They have frequent falls. They have incidents where can be prevented. It can be prevented by regular exercising and strengthening of the muscles.”
