19 Jun 2017 Moving and improving

by Karl Lenser

“Get up, stand up, fight for your rights.
Get up, stand up, don’t give up the fight.
Get up, stand up.”
— Bob Marley

The Bob Marley tune listed above was written to address human rights and justice issues, but the words also can be used when looking into physical activity and the challenges we encounter when trying to be more active. Every day is a struggle for many individuals to get active as other things and activities seem to pop up regularly and hinder efforts to move.

The main point to remember is that some activity is better than no activity. You do not need to go to a fitness center to get healthy and fit. All physical movement, no matter how basic, will help your overall health.

The human body has more than 600 muscles that have been designed to move the body. Research has proven that being sedentary is hazardous to your health as it promotes excessive weight gain and significantly increases the risk for developing high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and strokes.

A recent study from the American Journal of Epidemiology that looked at physical activity levels of more than 1,000 women suggested that failing to accumulate 150 minutes of moderate physical activity per week (30 minutes/day) may speed up the aging process by as much as 8 years. The lack of activity increases the risk for a shorter life span and developing life-impairing diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes.

Accumulating 30 minutes of moderate physical activity per day is not that difficult when you break this down into three segments of 10 minutes each. Going for three 10-minute walks in a day is not that difficult. Thirty minutes is 2 percent of a 24-hour day, and you simply have to make time to move.

But will performing 45 to 60 minutes of activity on most days of the week be even better for your health? The answer is YES! Studies continue to support the notion that individuals who become fitter due to their extended workout times develop a stronger cardio system that gives them greater protection from heart diseases, diabetes, hypertension and some cancers.

If you happen to have a job that requires a lot of sitting, then do yourself a health favor by taking the time to get up and walk for a few minutes. Doing this throughout the day will help your mind and body as these breaks re-energize you and provide benefits to your overall health and back muscles. We aren’t designed to be sitting for eight hours per day. When you are moving, you are improving. And when it comes to physical activity, some activity is better than no activity.

Be consistent and persistent with your exercise and diet routines and you will reap the benefits that include having more energy, feeling better, looking better and having a lower risk of developing life-impairing diseases.

A Conway resident, Karl Lenser is the employee wellness coordinator at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. He has bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. An accomplished runner, he can be reached at [email protected].