Brits 'dying not to do exercise' BBC 17/9/07   Most UK adults are so unwilling to exercise that not even the threat of an early death is enough to get them off the sofa, a survey suggests. Only 38% of people questioned by YouGov said they would do more exercise if their life depended on it. And British Heart Foundation figures show only a third of people manage to do enough exercise to achieve the minimum recommended amount. Experts warned inactivity is dangerous even in those who are a healthy weight. Among the 2,100 people surveyed, brisk walking was found to be the favourite way of getting exercise - before dancing, swimming or going to the gym.  However, only 4% said they found exercise fun. A greater inspiration was exercising to change body shape, particularly among women and young adults. Almost a third of 18 to 24-year-olds reported they would do more exercise if they saw an unflattering photo of themselves or were told they looked fat. Other less predictable forms of motivation to work out included fancying someone at the gym. But only 13% of men and 7% of women said keeping a healthy heart was their main motivator. Excuses for not exercising were found to be always close at hand - from not having enough time to the one in seven who blame bad weather for not doing enough physical activity. The British Heart Foundation, which is launching a campaign to encourage people to up their heart rate for 30 minutes a day, says that someone dies every 15 minutes as a direct result of physical inactivity. Dr Mike Knapton, director of prevention and care at the BHF, said it was a "deadly serious" problem. "With our busy lifestyles and labour-saving devices we've stopped getting the exercise our bodies desperately need. "For many people, exercise has become an ugly word, something to avoid at all costs - but you'd be amazed how easy it is to up the tempo of your heartbeat. "Just 30 minutes a day will do you and your heart the world of good." The government recommends a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity five times a week. Dr David Haslam, clinical director of the National Obesity Forum, said it made for depressing reading but confirmed what had been shown in clinical trials, where even those who had a heart attack did not change their lifestyles. "Children instinctively exercise when left to their own devices, but they don't because they're stopped from doing that by the school curriculum and parents scared of child abductors and murderers lurking on every corner. "So, if it doesn't become a habit, you're not going to work hard to go against the tide and introduce it as an adult." He added that exercise could be incorporated into everyday life. "Physical activity and obesity are two different risk factors, so even if you're lean, if you're inactive you increase your risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease," he said.    Dog owners walk their way to fitness abc.net.au 24 April 2007 A new study shows dog owners are seven times more likely to achieve the recommended level of exercise a week than non-dog owners. The research is part of a study on "Dogs and Physical Activity", being conducted at the University of Western Australia (UWA). The study surveyed more than 1,800 people in Perth. Study author Hayley Cutt says dog owners in the study exercised 55 more minutes a week on average than those without a canine pet. "The findings of the study show that there's a clear benefit of owning a dog and that it encourages you to be more physically active and get out there each day and go for a walk with your dog," she said. Sedentary life 'speeds up ageing' bbc.co.uk 31 January 2008 Leading a sedentary lifestyle may make us genetically old before our time, a study suggests. A study of twins found those who were physically active during their leisure time appeared biologically younger than their sedentary peers. The researchers found key pieces of DNA called telomeres shortened more quickly in inactive people. It is thought that could signify faster cellular ageing. The King's College London study appears in Archives of Internal Medicine. This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential anti-ageing effect of regular exercise. An active lifestyle has been linked to lower rates of cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes and cancer. However, the latest research suggests that inactivity not only makes people more vulnerable to disease, but may actually speed up the ageing process itself. The King's team studied 2,401 white twins, asking them to fill out questionnaires on their level of physical activity, and taking a blood sample from which DNA was extracted. They particularly focused on telomeres, the repeat sequences of DNA that sit on the ends of chromosomes, protecting them from damage. As people age, their telomeres become shorter, leaving cells more susceptible to damage and death. Examining white blood cells from the immune system in particular, the researchers found that, on average, telomeres lost 21 component parts - called nucleotides - every year. But men and women who were less physically active in their leisure time had shorter leukocyte telomeres compared to those who were more active. The average telomere length in those who took the least amount of exercise - 16 minutes of physical activity a week - was 200 nucleotides shorter than those who took the most exercise - 199 minutes of physical activity a week, such as running, tennis or aerobics. The most active people had telomeres of a length comparable to those found in inactive people who were up to 10 years' younger, on average. Direct comparison of twins who had different levels of physical activity produced similar results. The researchers suggest that physically inactive people may be more vulnerable to the damage caused to cells by exposure to oxygen, and to inflammation. Stress is also thought to have an impact on telomere length, and the researchers suggest people who exercise regularly may help to reduce their stress levels. Writing in the journal, the researchers said: "Our results show that adults who partake in regular physical activity are biologically younger than sedentary individuals. "This conclusion provides a powerful message that could be used by clinicians to promote the potential anti-ageing effect of regular exercise." In an accompanying editorial, Dr Jack Guralnik, of the US National Institute on Aging, said more work was needed to show a direct relationship between ageing and physical activity. He said: "Persons who exercise are different from sedentary persons in many ways, and although certain variables were adjusted for in this analysis, many additional factors could be responsible for the biological differences between active and sedentary persons. "Nevertheless, this article serves as one of many pieces of evidence that telomere length might be targeted in studying ageing outcomes."

Almost all Aussies are unhealthy  SMH 31/7/07   Almost all Australians are either eating poorly or exercising inadequately, while only five per cent meet national lifestyle guidelines, a new report shows. The landmark study of more than 16,000 Australians has painted a grim picture of a slothful, unhealthy nation falling short of its own recommendations for exercise and nutrition. One in four - 25 per cent - meet physical activity guidelines, while 55 per cent eat enough fruit and 15 per cent eat enough vegetables. But an alarmingly small number - fewer than five per cent - met the criteria for all three guidelines, a statistic the University of Sydney and Deakin University researchers say is "extremely concerning''. Men had poorer rates than women, as did overweight and obese people. "These guidelines have been set specifically to help Australians prevent cardiovascular problems and other diseases, and to stay healthy overall, but very few seems to be meeting them all,'' said Dr Evan Atlantis of the University of Sydney's Department of Exercise and Sports Science. This has a direct effect on Australia's growing obesity epidemic, he said. "Consuming the wrong food and and not expending enough energy is a recipe for obesity, and that's what we're doing to ourselves.'' National guidelines recommend two-and-a-half hours of moderate intensity exercise a week as well as two half-cup servings of fruit and five half-cup servings of vegetables a day. Dr Atlantis said most people were fulfilling one of these, but did not seem to understand the importance of combining them. "You need to be doing them all. Maybe we in the scientific community have failed to communicate that.'' The low overall rate was mainly due to the extremely low vegetable intake.Leading nutritionist Dr Rosemary Stanton said vegetables seemed to have lost their place in the daily diet. "The evening meal of meat and veg has given way to a slice of pizza, some instant noodles, a bar eaten in the car on the way to a meeting,'' Dr Stanton said. "The vegetables have disappeared at home, they're hard find in takeaway food and if you go to a restaurant you've got to order them separately and pay extra.'' Studies have linked vegetable intake to lower rates of a myriad of diseases, including cancer, diabetes and obesity. "The fact that people aren't eating the necessary amount translates directly to disease risk,'' Dr Stanton said. The study, published in the International Journal of Obesity, used results from the Australian National Health Survey 2004-5. The researchers have called for federal government investment of $200 million a year on comprehensive evidence-based public health programs targeting low physical activity and poor nutrition behaviour.   Laziness 'costing health care system $1.5b a year' Aug 14, 2007 abc.net.au   A leading health insurance company says not exercising is costing the nation $1.5 billion a year.   Medibank Private spokesman Craig Bosworth says economic researchers looked at the costs associated with lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.   He says strenuous exercise is not necessary, but walking for 30 minutes a day can add years to a person's life as well as cutting the massive costs to the health care system caused by inactivity. "Physical inactivity is costing the community $1.5 billion per year," he said.   "We're not talking about having to hit the gym every night, but we are talking about 10 minutes either side of the train station, walking the dog or taking the kids for a bike ride.   "While the World Health Organisation (WHO) estimates that being physically inactive can cause up to two million deaths per year, our research shows there around nine million inactive adults in Australia."

Lazy 'can be encouraged to move' BBC August 2007 Health professionals can motivate even the most inactive people to increase the amount they walk, say researchers. However, they found advice had to be tailored to individual needs - adopting a "one size fits all" policy would not be as effective, they suggest. They found that with the right advice people could be motivated to walk for an extra 30-60 minutes a week - enough for significant health benefits. Exercise reduces the risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers.  The researchers, from the Scottish Physical Activity Research Collaboration, reviewed 48 previous studies into promoting walking. The Scottish study features in the British Medical Journal.  Promotion methods used included using pedometers or promoting walking as an environmentally friendly mode of transport. In some cases these methods have been targeted at whole communities, for example by handing out free pedometers. Lead author David Ogilvie said one size may not fit all, and to encourage more walking patients should be offered a range of options. He said face-to-face advice from healthcare professionals could be useful in enabling patients' needs to be assessed and individual advice given. Dr Ogilvie said: "We can't point to a single silver bullet that will promote walking for everyone, but we have found evidence that different approaches can be effective." He said different people would find different things useful as motivational tools. Some might find using a pedometer or attending group meetings to report their progress useful, while others could be motivated by environmental concerns to use walking as a method of transport. Ken Fox, professor of exercise and health science at the University of Bristol said as with any behavioural changes, asking people to increase their physical activity levels could present a difficult challenge, and different people could need different help. He said: "Everyone's personal situation is different, so tailoring recommendations to their different needs and circumstances is important." Cathy Ross, a Cardiac Nurse at the British Heart Foundation (BHF), said 30 minutes of daily, moderate-intensity physical activity could cut heart disease risks by half.   She said: "Whatever way you do it, walking is a fantastic way for everyone to achieve their 30 a Day." Exercise Fights Fatigue, Boosts Energy. Nov 2006 New research suggests regular exercise can increase energy levels even among people suffering from chronic medical conditions associated with fatigue, like cancer and heart disease. "A lot of times when people are fatigued, the last thing they want to do is exercise," says researcher Patrick O'Connor, PhD, in a news release. "But if you're physically inactive and fatigued, being just a bit more active will help," says O'Connor, co-director of the University of Georgia exercise psychology laboratory.   Instead of reaching for an energy bar or sports drink, we might be better off going for a walk or swim.   In this study, published in Psychological Bulletin, the researchers analyzed 70 studies on exercise and fatigue involving more than 6,800 people. "More than 90% of the studies showed the same thing: regular exercise increases energy and reduces fatigue. The average effect was greater than the improvement from using stimulant medications, including ones used for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy. Researchers say nearly every group studied - from healthy adults, to cancer patients, and those with chronic conditions including diabetes and heart disease - benefitted from exercise.

© 2007 ADVENTURE AUSTRALIS PTY LTD ABN 24127239981  |  Privacy Policy  |  Terms and Conditions of Usage  |  Site Disclaimer