Inactivity a big killer in NZ | Te Waha Nui

Getting? up off your couch and going for a walk could greatly reduce your risk of disease-related death, says a prominent US health researcher.?

Increasing your exercise level is vital to your long-term health, says professor Steven Blair. Image: Chelsea Thoresen.

American professor Steven Blair talked to Aucklanders about the benefits of exercise during a lecture at the University of Auckland recently. ?

Blair, a major player in the field of exercise research, talked about the concept of ?exercise is medicine?. He says being inactive is a major health risk.

The World Health Organisation agrees, warning that?inactivity?is the fourth leading cause of deaths in the world. In 2008 alone, 5.3 million deaths could have been avoided by better fitness levels.?

While it may come as a surprise to some, physical fitness trumps body weight in reducing the risk of death from cardiovascular disease, according to a long-term study published in the American Heart Association journal.?

Aucklander Linda Anderson, who suffers from hypertension, attended Thursday?s lecture and was excited by the idea of fitness reducing her risk of heart disease.

?Hitting the gym more often is a much more appealing idea to me than taking even more pills for my high blood pressure.?

A global study, published in the British medical journal Lancet in July, identified that 48 per cent of New Zealand adults are ?inactive?.?

??Inactivity is a huge public health problem. We have to develop and implement strategies to really make exercise a medicine,? says Blair.

He is quick to point out that it is not the only medicine but says it should be ?integrated into clinical practise and public health if we?re really seriously going to tackle this problem?.

Blair considers New Zealand to be a leader in this concept.

In 1999, the Government announced it would fund ?green prescriptions? ? where GPs prescribe exercise to get people healthy.

Professor Blair says ?it?s never too late to take up exercise, improve your fitness and reduce your risk of these (non-communicable) diseases?.

Recommendations from Professor Steven Blair and the World Health Organisation ?

• At least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity?? AND
• two days a week of strength training, using the major muscle groups.?

Source: http://www.tewahanui.info/twn/index.php/inactivity-a-big-killer-in-nz/

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